Tied by Destiny
by IdealisticSoul
Summary: Alistair breaks up with Elissa after the Landsmeet, but destiny brings them back together. "If you really love someone set him free. If he comes back he's yours, if not it wasn't meant to be." Cousland , Alistair and Anders triangle, drama and romance
1. Justice is Blind

I don't own anything related to DAO or the characters from the game; Bioware does. The only thing I own here, is my wild imagination!

_This story contains spoilers for Dragon Age and all its official DLCs._

_Note: Dialogues written in italics are characters inner thoughts._

_Last updated on 27__th__ of August, 2011: changed the writing style – characters thoughts are told from a __single focused third __person; some grammar and spelling corrections._

**Chapter 1 : Justice is Blind**

"_The_ _dead_ _cannot cry out for justice; it is a duty of the living to do so for them." _

_- __Lois McMaster Bujold_

The Denerim Palace's Lansmeet chamber was full of people. All the Ferelden's nobles were watching the duel between Loghain, the Hero of River Dane and the Warden, Elissa Cousland. The two warriors were fighting with each other in the middle of the room. They both seemed tired and wounded.

Loghain charged at Elissa with full power. Elissa hardly defended herself from his attack, as her left arm had been wounded in the last charge.

Alistair was restless, his face was full of worry. He was praying to the Maker for Elissa to win. He felt so guilty for letting her fight. He should have fought Loghain, not her! He felt so stupid for not trying to change her mind; to let him fight as her Champion.

Loghain won ground and he knocked Elissa down. The Warden looked tired and almost defeated. But she gathered all her strenght and got up. She looked at Loghain, trying to anticipate his next move.

"I can't let you win this duel Loghain! Maker knows I won't!" she whispered to Loghain.

She looked into Alistair's eyes and saw that they were full of worry and pain.

"For Duncan!" she screamed as she charged Loghain.

Loghain felt his body getting tired, even with all the experience as a warrior, he knew he couldn't hold much longer. The Warden was stronger than he had thought, she was faster and even with her left arm badly wounded, she seamed to recover. She was so determinate to win the fight! So much determination and so much passion … it reminded him of… No, it couldn't be! But he could not deny the truth, she reminded him of Maric, his lost friend.

Loghain saw the way the young Cousland girl looked at the Bastard Prince before she charged with all her power. He immediately recognized the light from Elissa's eyes. It was the look of a woman in love. She was in a relation with the Bastard Prince. Maker, but she was strong! Loghain felt that he could not continue like that for much longer... he had to...

"I underestimated you, Warden. I thought you were like Cailan… a child wanting to play war! There is a strength in you I haven't seen since Maric. I yield to you!" said Loghain as he dropped his sword and shield.

Elissa looked at the yielded general with surprise. That great man was yielding… but wasn't the duel suppose to be a fight to the death? The General looked so tired and so old… She had defeated him both physically and mentally. She immediately felt pity for him.

"I accept your surrender" said Elissa.

Alistair's face changed from joy to anger. "I didn't just hear you say that! You're going to let him LIVE after all he has done! Kill him already!" screamed Alistair.

Elissa looked at Alistair and saw the anger from his eyes. He wanted revenge, she understood his need for revenge. She had killed Howe and had her revenge, but killing Howe didn't make her a better person and didn't bring her family back. She was confused.

Then, she looked at Anora and saw the despair from her eyes. She was Loghain's daughter… she didn't want her father to die. Nobody could blame her for that.

"Wait… there is an other way!" said Riordan as he stepped forward and everybody turned their heads to hear his words. "Make Loghain a Warden!" he continued.

Elissa turned her eyes to the defeated man in from of her. Riordan wanted to make Loghain a Warden? That was a little perverse and ironic at the same time: to become one of the Wardens Loghain hated so much. She frowned. Was making Loghain a Warden really a good option?

"Riodan, why do you want to make Loghain a Warden? He's not even loyal to us! " she said after a few seconds of complete silence.

Alistair was restless, as he tried hard to recover from the shock. How could they say such things? They wanted to make Loghain a Grey Warden? Why? Was Riordan insane? And Elissa was considering it? What in the name of the Maker were they thinking of? He could not let that happen! He just couldn't!

"Loghain is a great warrior and a general, there are so few of us, only three Wardens. Let him be of use, let him be a Warden. What has loyalty have to do with this? We are bound to the Darkspawn, we cannot hide from them…" answered Riordan.

Anora's face lighted up. That was a way out… a way her father could live. She just had to take advantage of that chance. She thanked the Maker for that Riordan Warden!

"The Joining is often fatal, is it not? If he lives you gain a Warden, otherwise you have your… Revenge!" said the Queen with a light of hope in her eyes.

Loghain looked at his daughter with sadness in his eyes. Anora was trying to save him… his little girl… Maker knew she loved him. But to make him a Warden… Loghain was not sure which was better, to be executed or to become a Warden… The Bastard Prince wanted revenge, Loghain knew it. Maker, was that Maric's blade next to his shield? Duncan's shield… how ironical… This meant they either had returned to Ostagar, or they had bought the sword from someone who had found it. So his dear friend's blade had somehow returned to Maric's bastard son… Maker had a good sense of humor!

Alistair couldn't hold back his anger any longer. He could not let that happen! NO WAY!

"ABSOLUTLY NOT! Riodan, this man had tortured you and hunted us like animals, he abandoned his King at Ostagar!" yelled Alistair.

Elissa listened to Riodan, Anora and Alistair, looked at Loghain and tried to focus on making a decision. Loghain was old… maybe he would survive the Joining, but that was not the point there… The practical solution was to make him a Warden… was it not? He would fight for his country, in fact, all the things he did were for Ferelden. He would fight the darkspawn with them. Elissa had no doubt he would… but after the war what then? Back to civil war? He wanted to put his daughter on the throne, he would even kill Alistair to achieve that… they couldn't trust him after the Blight, yet he might not survive the battle. But did he really deserve to die as a hero after all he had done?

Elissa looked back at her angry fellow Warden, Alistair. She had never seen him so angry in her life! He wanted revenge. She understood him… he was afraid Loghain would get away with all he had done. He would never forgive her if Loghain would get away with his crimes.

Elissa looked at the Queen. Maker! Loghain was her father, she could not kill him in front of her! It would had been too cruel… Anora loved her father… Elissa loved her father and she would have fought for her father's life too. So Elissa understood Anora's struggle to save Loghain's life.

Everyone was looking at Elissa. She had to make the final decision… death or Joining. What would her father do? '_Justice is blind… Justice is blind…_' that was a statement her father told her long time ago. Maker forgive her! She had decided...

"Justice must be done, Loghain has to die for his crimes!" said Elissa in a harsh tone.

Loghain looked at the Warden with a sad smile on his face. '_So, death after all… good._' He didn't want to become a Warden… death seamed much better. The Warden was strong, she would defeat the Blight, she just had to! '_Maric, Rowan, see you soon my friends!_' thought Loghain as he smiled sadly.

Anora was scared and restless, but she tried hard to maintain her proud posture. She could not believe what was happening. She had to do something about it… the Warden was about to kill her father _there_, at the Landsmeet… in front of _her_! No … she could not let that happen!

"You can't do this, my father might have done wrong things, but he is still the Hero of River Dane!" screamed Anora , trying to change the Warden's decision.

"I'm sorry Anora, _justice is blind_." said the Warden coldly.

Loghain watched his daughter fighting for his life.'I_'m sorry Anora, my little girl… there is nothing you can do now.' _he thought to himself.

"Hash Anora, it's over", said the Hero of River Dane.

Anora was angry. He had given up! Her brave father had given up… he was a Hero… he should have fought to the end!

"Stop treating me like a child, father! This is serious! " screamed Anora , her eyes hardly holding back the tears.

"Daughters never grow up. They remain pig-tailed with skinned knees like when they were six years old." said Loghain smiling sadly at his daughter.

"Make it quick,Warden! I can face the Maker now knowing that Ferelden is in your hands." said the defeated general, looking straight into the Warden's eyes.

"Father…" said Anora and knelt to kiss her father one last time.

A tear fell from Elissa's right eye. She could not do it! She could not kill that man in front of his daughter! She just couldn't do it! But Alistair wanted revenge…

"Alistair will be the one who will do it." said Elissa in a harsh tone.

Alistair turned his head to Elissa.

"Thank you, my love." he whispered as he took the sword from Elissa's hand and nodded.

"For Duncan!" screamed Alistair, as he chopped Loghain's head off.

Anora screamed and knelt next to her father's lifeless body.

Elissa was trying hard to hold back her tears. '_Justice is blind … Good bye Loghain … goodbye Hero of River Dane , my childhood hero! Maker have mercy on your soul!' _she thought to herself.

The silence in the room was broken by Arl Eamon who stepped forward and started to speak with full determination in his voice.

"So it is decided. Alistair will take his father's throne." said Eamon.

Anora got up and looked coldly at Eamon. The old arl was quckly back to business... there was no time for mourning. The Queen cursed the old and foxy noble.

Alistair turned his head from Loghain's lifeless body to Eamon, his eyes were full of confusion. Eamon wanted to make him king, but that meant he needed an heir and Grey Wardens could not have children with each other. So, becoming a king meant that he had to break up with Elissa… NO.

"Wait, nobody has decided that, have they?"answered Alistair with fear in his voice.

Anora was surprised. So, the Bastard Prince didn't want the throne after all… that was good. The show was about to start!

"He refuses the throne! Everybody heard him saying that! He abdicates in favor of ME!" screamed Anora with full determination in her voice.

Eamon raised an eyebrow. He was surprised to see that Anora recovered from the shock so quickly. He knew that she would not lose her power easily.

"I hardly think you are in a position to solve this situation. We need a neutral party. Warden, will you help us out?" continued Eamon.

Elissa tried to give herself a mental shake to recover from Loghain's execution. She had to take the final decision. It was up to her to decide who would rule Ferelden. But she was hardly a neutral party, as she was in love with the heir to the throne. Anora was indeed a good administrator, but Alistair was the rightful heir to the throne… It was a had decision.

Then, sherememberedhow the Queen had betrayed them three days ago in the Arl's Howe's Estate from Denerim_. _Elissa, Alistair, Morrigan and Leliana had rescued the Queen from the room she had been imprisoned in by Howe, but as they wanted to leave the estate, they were stopped by Sir Catherin's solders. She remembered how the Queen had lied Sir Catherin that the Wardens had kidnapped her, double crossing them.Anora could not be trusted. She was cold and manipulative. She was intelligent and a very good administrator, but she lacked the most essential element of a good ruler: a heart.

Elissa thought back to the conversation she and Alistair had two days ago in Eamon's office. She had asked Alistair if Anora should be Queen. Alistair had said that he did not trust Anora because she was just like her father. His opinion was that it was possible she had planned the whole abduction thing by herself.

Then, Anora had promised she would support Alistair for the throne. But she had lied. She had betrayed the Wardens for the second time, siding with Loghain at the Landsmeet. The Queen could definitely not be trusted!

"I need to speak to Anora first!" said Elissa.

"Certainly." replied Anora.

"How can I trust you after you betrayed us?" asked Elissa.

"Because I always do what's best for Ferelden. Doubt anything else about me, but not that!" answered Anora coldly.

Elissa looked at Anora with anger in her eyes. She had double crossed then twice. She could not trust her. It was a high risk to trust her after two betrays.

Anora looked back with the same anger. The Queen knew that the Cousland was second in line to the throne. She was sure that Elissa wanted to put her boyfriend on the throne so that she would become Queen instead! She was angry on Elissa and she swore that she would revenge her father's dead no matter what.

"I need to speak to Alistair." said Elissa turning to face Alistair.

Alistair looked at Elissa with fear in his eyes. "I hope you know what you are doing, love. You know I never wanted to be king, but you might be right, we cannot trust Anora, she double crossed us twice!" he whispered in Elissa's ear.

"What should I do? Make Anora Queen? What do you think?" she asked.

"I don't know, she had already betrayed us twice, who knows what she might do after you give her the crown, she might order us executed!" answered Alistair.

"Are you ready to give up your freedom to become king?" asked Elissa.

Alistair was confused. Maker, why did it have to be like this? He had to choose between Love and Duty? He had to give up His Love in order to become King. He did not tell her about the children part. He never told Elissa that Wardens could not have children with each other. But he just couldn't let Anora win, she was just like her father, she would definitely kill them sooner or later, she would not hesitate to execute him for being a thread to the throne. He had to do that, he had to become King! He had to stand up for himself. _"Everybody is for themselves"_, those were Elissa's words after they had met his sister Goldana.

"Make me king, Anora isn't an option!" answered Alistair with full determination in his voice.

Elissa smiled at Alistair. He had finally hardened during their adventures through Ferelden. Good! He would be a good king, he had a good heart, high values and a strong spirit of duty! She would make him king! She could have also said that she would rule by his side, but that would have looked selfish and she was supposed to be a 'neutral party'.

"Alistair will be king!" said Elissa smiling.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Soon after his death, Loghain met Maric and Rowan in the Fade, before his final confrontation with the Maker.

"Hello Loghain, old friend!" said Maric coldly.

"Maric… I'm so glad to meet you, my friend!" answered Loghain.

Maric looked at Loghain with sadness in his eyes. "You left my son Cailan to DIE, Loghain… you, MY FRIEND, have betrayed your KING!"

"He wanted to marry the Empress of Orlais and sell us to the Orlesians!" said Loghain in an irritated tone.

Rowan, Maric's wife, appeared from behind her husband. "Come on Loghain, you can't seriously believe that!" said Rowan.

"Rowan, it's so good to see you too!" said Loghain smiling.

"Answer my question, Loghain!" yelled Maric.

"Look, you don't know what happened, you were not there, Maric! I only did what was necessary for my COUNTRY!" answered Loghain.

"And selling elves to the Trevinter Imperium has also NECESSARY?" said Fiona, the elven mage, as she approached them from behind.

"Good to see you too, Fiona. So, this is a big happy family reunion. How nice! By the way, Fiona, your son executed me for my mistakes! Happy now?" said Loghain, frowning.

"You betrayed Cailan, aren't you a bit sorry?" said Maric.

"I didn't betray him… look Maric, Rowan, Fiona, you weren't there, you don't know what really happened..." said Loghain, trying to calm down the spirits.

"No they weren't… but we were there! And YOU, Loghain, betrayed US! You left us to DIE! " said Cailan and Duncan at the same time, as they appeared suddenly.

"MAKER HAVE MERCY ON YOUR SOUL, LOGHAIN! " said all of them as they suddenly disappeared.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"


	2. Never Compromise

_Last updated on 27th of August, 2011: fixed grammar and spelling errors; improved the writing style a little._

**Chapter 2 : Never Compromise**

_"If you really love someone set him free. If he comes back he's yours, if not it wasn't meant to be." - Unknown Author_

After the Landsmeet, Elissa,Wynne and Leliana returned to Arl Eamon's Residence. Alistair remained to discuss something with the old arl. Wynne just finished healing Elissa's injured hand when Alistair entered the estate's big dining room where the party was resting. Elissa noticed that he was very sad and scared.Why is he scared? Maybe he is afraid he won't be a good king, but there was something else... What's wrong with him? Elissa felt that something was not right.

Alistair's heart was beating very fast, like it wanted to jump out of his chest. '_Maker, I'm going to have a heart attack! I must do this! She must know! I'm such a bastard, but I must do it!' _he thought to himself.

"We need to talk." he said coldly and guided Elissa into an empty room near the dinning room.

"Are you all right? You make me worry!" said Elissa.

Alistair took a big breath. '_Here it goes! Maker help me, please!' _he thought to himself.

"I'm not going to question why you made me king, I think I'm starting to get used to the idea, but being king raises some questions about us, about you and me ..." said Alistair.

Elissa looked surprised at Alistair. What was he trying to tell her? Maker, was he going to propose to her? But why was he so scared? Something was not right... Elissa could feel it.

"You know that Grey Wardens don't live long? Right? As a king, I'll require to have an heir." he said with fear in his voice.

"I am aware of that, how does this affect us? Don't Grey Wardens have children?" answered Elissa... but she got the answer just by looking into his eyes. Maker, it could not be possible... they could not have children with each other? She would never be a mother? That was so unfair!

"Not with each other. It's hard enough for one Grey Warden to have a child, for two of them, next to impossible. I love you, more than you could possibly know, but I must face what this means. I will need to find a wife, one who will be able to bear me a child and raise it." said the future king.

Elissa was looking at the floor, as she didn't want to look into his eyes that turned from scared to cold. She thought how naive she had been, that she believed he wanted to propose to her. She felt like a fool. It was over… she could not believe it. But he just said that he loved her. Maybe she could convince him to...

"No one should force the king to do something he doesn't want to do!" she said as she looked into his eyes again.

"You mean marry who I want, carry on with whoever I want? Isn't that a little unfair to both you and my… wife?" said Alistair with a cold voice.

Elissa's eyes looked again at the floor. Maker! What did she think of when she said those words? Was been a Mistress a good option? What would her father and mother think of her! '_Never compromise, never compromise_'… had her father told her long time ago. No. She could not win that, he wanted a wife, he gave up on her so easily! He did not give her any chance. He had already chosen the easier way out for him… he just dumped her. The Bastard! '_Fine, so be it then… it is __OVER._' she thought to herself.

"No, you're right. It's not fair." she said looking at the floor again.

"You must understand that I have to do this now, or I won't be able to do it later. Arl Eamon has left for Redcliffe and we should follow him whenever we are ready. I must go to the camp now and clear my mind." said Alistair and left the room in a hurry.

As soon as he left, Elissa immediately fell on her kneels and started to cry. Tears were useless. She hated crying. She never thought he would make her cry like that… they never had a real fight, it had all been so beautiful! They had known each other for six months and she fell in love with him from the first time she met him at Ostagar. He was the first one who made her smile... the one who made her forget that her family had recently been murdered. He was her first love, her first lover… her life had no more meaning without him. She could not believe it was over… It felt like a bad dream, but it was not. It was all so real. She heard someone coming. Did he forget to say something?

"Maker, Elissa! What's wrong? " said Leliana as she knelt in front of Elissa, hugging her.

"We broke up… me and Alistair, it's over…" whispered Elissa, hardly holding back her tears for a moment.

"What? That is not possible? Maker! You two love each other so much. What did go wrong? I don't get it..." said Leliana in a worried voice.

"I don't want to talk about it… I need to take a walk. Tell the others that we will leave for Redcliffe as soon as possible. Meet me back in Camp all of you when you are ready!" ordered Elissa in a commanding voice, stopping the tears as she ran away from Leliana.

"Of course Elissa, but if I can do anything for you, just let me know!" said Leliana.

Elissa gathered all her weapons fast, took Nero, her mabari with her for a long walk through Denerim. '_I must be strong, I'm a Commander, a Cousland, I must do my duty, I cannot cry like a little girl. I MUST be strong.' _she repeated to herself in her mind for thousands of times. She stopped at the Chantry to collect some money for a few already completed tasks, and after a few more hours of walking through the streets of Denerim, she decided it was time to go back to the Camp.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

As Elissa was approaching the Camp, followed by Nero, her black mabari hound, she saw Alistair sitting near the fire with a sad look on his face. She wanted to run to him and make him regret the words he had said to her, maybe even start a good fight, but she controlled herself. He looked miserable too, sad, worried and with a black eye?

"Come on Warden, let's drink some of my special brew! I know you need some after breaking up with His Majesty!" said Oghren smiling at Elissa, as he jumped in her way.

"How did you know… " said Elissa surprised. '_Maker, Leliana is really fast, they already know, all of them; now what?' _thought Elissa to herself.

"Well your… _Ex_ told us… after Leliana punched him pretty hard in the eye! Ha ha ha! She's a tough one! Come on Warden, let's drink a bit, you need it!" continued the dwarf.

"Alright, just one round Oghren, I still have some things to sort out, see which to sell and which to give." said a surprised Elissa as she followed Oghren.

But it wasn't just a round of drinking, they were two and three and Elissa got very cheerful and then Leliana and Zevran joined them and started a real party until they drank all Oghren's brew, plus some wine Elissa found in her trunk of goods.

The party ended soon after they finished all the wine. A lot of wine. As Elissa tried to get up from the grass where they were sitting, her legs didn't listen to her and she somehow fell on the ground again, giggling. But then she felt somebody taking her up and carrying her. She tried to focus to see who he was. She couldn't see clearly, but she tried to think logical. He couldn't be Zevran because he was drunken than her... could he be Sten? Oh... She would be in such trouble if it was Sten. She just imagined a tough conversation with Sten in the morning... something like: _'Kadan, you have disappointed me!' _She started to giggle for a few moments. '_Wait, I cannot see well right now but I recognize the smell… this smell is so familiar and pleasant… Now I sound like my dog_', she thought to herself as she giggled again. '_Wow , I think it's Alistair! He's carrying me to my tent… Nice , a real gentleman… I gentleman who broke my heart today…_' she started to cry and then, after a few seconds, she fell into a deep sleep.

Alistair carried Elissa to her tent, gently removed her armor and boots, then covered her with a blanket.

"Good night, my lo-", he stopped and sighed deeply, "Goodnight, Elissa!" he said and then he quickly ran into his tent.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"


	3. To Love and Lose

**Chapter 3 : To Love and Lose**

"_Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." - William Congreve _

He was kissing her hand and then her neck…

"Ah, Alistair! I love the way you are trying to wake me up this morning! Hmm… it's nice…"

Then he licked her left ear, kissed her face and he barked...

"What in Andraste's name is going on?"She tried to open her eyes, but her eyelashes were so heavy… she tried to peak with one eye... then, she just realized what was actually happening: Nero was licking her face.

"Good morning, Nero! Where is Alistair?"

Nero looked at his master and whimpered. She tried hard to focus and to remember the last day's events.

After a few moments of focusing, all came back to her. "Wait, Nero, now I remember… the Landsmeet and the… break-up. I need to throw up now..."

She got out of the tent quickly and emptied her stomach on the grass.

Wynne, who was seated on the grass near Elissa's tent, looked concerned at Elissa."I see that you are awake, good. Let me see what I can do for you hangover, my dear." The old mage immediately cast a healing spell on Elissa.

"How are you feeling dear?" asked Wynne after she completed the healing spell.

"Much better, thank you, Wynne", whispered Elissa,"How are Oghren, Leliana and Zevran?"

"I've already healed Leliana, but Zevran is still sleeping, Oghren is himself again, what can I say… he has such a resistance to alcohol, not that he's sober right now, but anyway… he's fine." said Wynne as she gave Elissa a bad smelling herbal potion.

"Here, drink this, it will make you stomach feel better." said Wynne.

"Thank you, Wynne" said Elissa, then she drank the disgusting potion.

Elissa saw Alistair not far away from them. She stared at his black eye. '_Maker, Leliana hit him pretty hard!' _she thought to herself.

"Wynne, can you please heal Alistair's black eye?" whispered Elissa.

Wynne looked at her with surprise and nodded. "Of course. I'll go heal him right now." she answered with a smile on her face and walked to Alistair.

"I'm disappointed by you, Kadan!" said Sten, as he stepped closer to Elissa, startling her.

"Oh, Sten, not now… pleeeease! My head hurts!" said Elissa as she tried hard to avoid Sten's lecture. "Thanks for carrying me back to my tent, by the way!" she whispered.

"But I didn't, Alistair did, I thought you knew it! I wanted to carry you, but he got to you first." said Sten with surprise in his voice.

_'So it was Alistair after all, he carried me… so what's the point? Why should I care? It's over, isn't it?' _thought Elissa.

"So, Kadan, I just wanted to tell that I understand your pain but that doesn't explain why you had to make a fool of yourself last night, this should not happen again! It's not wise and appropriate of a Kadan to drink so much and lose control!" said Sten with a bit of sympathy in his harsh words.

"Yes '_Father'_." answered Elissa, smiling.

"It's better to love and to lose, than to never love at all." said Sten as he walked away from Elissa leaving her with the mouth opened from surprise.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

It was already evening when the Warden party arrived at the Redcliffe village. They quickly cleared all the darkspawn in their way, then they headed for the Castle. Elissa, Leliana, Alistair and Wynne killed all the darkspawn from the Castle's yard quickly, but then they were standing face to face to a huge ogre.

"I'll distract him, Wynne, try to freeze it, Leliana switch to sword and dagger combat, Alistair… just guard Wynne." said Elissa as she charged the ogre with full power.

But the ogre was more cunning than the other creatures, it was a Darkspawn-Commander, much bigger than the other ogres that they had fought before and it seamed to know well how to escape Elissa's tactical moves. It managed to defend itself from some of her attacks and, suddenly, it grabbed Elissa in one of his huge hands and squeezed her like a lemon.

Wynne cast fast a protection ward on Elissa,then drank a lyrium potion and cast a healing spell as well.

"Elissa!" screamed Alistair as he charged the ogre with all his power.

"Let her go you stinky, ugly monster! Fight me, let her go!" he screamed again hurting the ogre's left leg with all his power.

The ogre tottered, having his left leg badly wounded, and then dropped Elissa on the ground. Wynne rushed to heal Elissa and Leliana checked her for broken bones, while Alistair finished the ogre.

"Just what were you thinking when you charged that HUGE monster ALONE?" screamed Alistair at Elissa, who was recovering slowly from the fall.

"WE where supposed to charge it together, distract it, but NO, YOU charged it and left me to… to guard Wynne! What was in your head?" he screamed again.

"Look, I'm expendable, you're the future king. You're right, I was wrong, I should have taken Sten with us instead of you!" said Elissa in a cold but calm voice as she got up slowly.

"Your not expen-" said Alistair, but has interrupted by a messenger that came out of the castle.

"My Lady, you are here! Riodan is expecting you inside the castle!" said Eamon's messenger, interrupting their argument and leaving an angry Alistair with an unfinished sentence on his lips.

"Riordan is here? What happened? Take me inside!" said Elissa and she quickly followed the messenger in a hurry inside the Castle.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Elissa found Riordan, Eamon and Teagan in the castle's main room. The news were not good: Riodan said that the Archdemon was leading the horde of darkspawn to Denerim. The Wardens decided to gather the army and march to Denerim in the morning, a difficult task, but the only way to save the capital. They had to kill the Archdemon, the leader of the horde. Riordan asked Alistair and Elissa to join him in his room after dinner to discuss some Grey Warden business regarding the Archdemon.

Arl Eamon had invited them all into the big dinning room to serve dinner. When Elissa and the party entered the dinning room, Sten, Shale, Zevran and Morrigan were already expecting them there.

There was a huge wooden table in the middle of the room full of food and drinks. There were steaks and hams, two kinds of bread, fruits and vegetables and of course… lots of cheese. Alistair's stomach started to make noise at the sight of all the cheese. Everybody took a seat at the table and started to eat and drink except for Elissa, who was just watching her companions.

Leliana was seated next to Riordan, speaking in Orlesian and giggling from time to time. '_She's probably missing speaking Orlesian and is lucky to find another Orlesian to remind her of home. Good for her! Riodan is enjoying the conversation too. He seems a nice guy, but with a lot a grief on his face; he's been through a lot lately. It's good to see him smile!' _thought Elissa as she smiled.

Sten was having some serious conversation with Shale.'_Maker , these two are so alike, I might say they make a good pair!' _Elissa smiled again.

Wynne was having an argument with Morrigan about something… again. '_Hope they won't light the Castle on fire if they get both angry!' _thought Elissa.

Teagan and Oghren where drinking and they were both giggling about something… Elissa only heard some small fragments from their conversation. Something about "after the War", "a bet" and "pickle juice". '_They are making some bet to do something related to pickle juice after the War. Yeah… boys !' _thought Elissa as she raised an eyebrow.

Alistair looked sad and angry, he was trying to ignore Teagan's giggling as he was stuffing himself with cheese. '_Worried about Denerim , about the Archdemon or about what Grey Warden secrets Riordan is going to tell us soon, my lo-', _she sighed deeply_, 'my friend?' _thought Elissa as she caught his sight. _'Zevran is… where is he?'_

"Hmm… my dear Warden… such tension in your beautiful shoulders! Let me help you relax, forget about the war... the Blight…the Bastard." said Zevran from behind Elissa, startling her.

"Well… thanks Zev, but NO. I'm fine, really!" answered Elissa as she got all serious and she turned to look at the Antivian elf.

"No? Well if you change you mind… my room is the second on the left on the first floor. You can come any time… you won't regret it, I promise." said Zevran as he smiled seductively at Elissa.

Alistair stuck a fork in his steak, stabbing it with all his power, like he was trying to kill it. '_Maker, this assassin is getting on my nerves! He's trying to seduce Elissa again, this bloody elf wants to give her a massage! He should stay away from her, she's min-' _but his thoughts froze and he sighed deeply '_Well not mine anymore… stupid, stupid me!'_

"What's wrong, my friend?" asked Teagan as he noticed Alistair's ebullience.

"Well, a lot of things: Blight, War, darkspawns, King stuff… " answered Alistair as he was stabbing the 'poor' steak.

"Oghren told me about you and Elissa… I couldn't believe it! I'm sorry, my friend! If you want to talk about it, I'm here for you!", said Teagan with concern in his voice.

"Thanks, Teagan… I appreciate it, but I'm FINE… thanks anyway!" answered Alistair, trying hard to control himself.

"Elissa, Alistair I'm expecting you both in my room whenever you're ready. We need to discuss some Grey Warden business." said Riordan as he left the dining room.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Riodan finally revealed to Alistair and Elissa the reason why Grey Wardens were necessary in order to end the Blight: the Archdemon could be destroyed only if it was killed by a Grey Warden. Its soul would enter the Grey Warden's body and, unfortunately, the Grey Warden would die too. So a sacrifice had to be performed, one of the three Wardens had to die in order to end the Blight.

"I will take the final blow myself!" said Elissa with full determination in her voice.

Alistair looked at Elissa with despair in his eyes '_No you won't! I won't let you!' _he thought to himself.

"It warms my heart to see such courage, but I'm the oldest of us and I've been a Grey Warden for a long time; my Calling is near, I shall make the final blow, but in case I fail, one of you must do it in order to end the Blight. Go rest now, my friends, tomorrow morning we shall marsh to Denerim."

As soon as Alistair and Elissa left Riordan's room, Alistair grabbed Elissa's hand and forced her to face him.

"I won't let you take the final blow, Elissa. I will do it!" he said.

"No, Alistair, you're the future king, I can't let you die! I'll do it and this is FINAL!" answered Elissa and she ran away from him.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

When Elissa entered her room, she was surprised to find Morrigan expecting her inside.

"Morrigan, is something wrong? said Elissa as she approached Morrigan.

"I am well, my friend, it is you who are in danger! " answered Morrigan.

"What do you mean, Morrigan?"asked Elissa surprised.

"I know a way out. A loop into your hole. I know that a Grey Warden must be sacrificed in order to end the Blight and I came to tell you that this is not the only way."

"What do you know Morrigan and what's with all this secrecy?"

"I know a ritual that can be performed on the eve of the battle. It will save your life."

"What sort of ritual ? From where do you know it?"

"A magical ritual, some might call it 'blood magic', but it's just a name. I know it from Flemeth, of course. Have you not wondered why she sent me with you? She gave me this ritual before I left and told me to perform it on the eve of the battle."

"What do I have to do, Morrigan?"

"Convince Alistair to lay with me tonight and from this bound a tainted child will be conceived. When the killing blow is done, the Archdemon's soul will seek the child like a beacon, possessing it. The child will have the soul of an Old God, and no Grey Warden would die in the process. Then, you will allow me to leave and you shall never follow."

"Morrigan, are you insane? You want to have Alistair's child? Why?"

"Elissa, listen to me, consider the alternative if Riordan is not there to take the final blow: do you think Alistair will fail to do his duty as the future king? And if you do it, he will lose the woman he loves. How do you think he will feel about that? I think you have many reasons to consider it carefully."

"Wait... I want to know more about this... child. What will the child become? Will it be evil?"

"The child will have the soul of an Old God, an ancient power will be reborn, untainted... and that is all I can say to you."

"Morrigan, I can't do this, I can't ask Alistair something like this, maybe we can convince Riordan?"

"Riodan is unsuitable for the ritual, he's been a Warden for too long. I need someone who hasn't been tainted for too long… it must be Alistair and it must be tonight."

"No, Morrigan, I can't ask him to do this. If Riordan fails, I will make the killing blow. I'm the one expendable, Alistair will be king."

"Don't be foolish! You need to survive; survival is the most important! He will listen to you, you can easily persuade him to do it!" yelled Morrigan.

"No, Morrigan, the answer is NO!" said Elissa with anger in her voice. '_I can't ask him to do THIS, to have a sex ritual with Morrigan… to have a bastard Old God child somewhere…'_

"Please reconsider…don't let your foolish pride blind you! He broke your heart and now you want to die because of it? Is this why you won't take advantage of this opportunity?"

"NO, Morrigan. If I could give you the child, I would, but I can't… and I can't asking HIM to do it …well , it's not… I can't ask him THIS."

"Then goodbye, my friend, I will not stay to see you die! I won't!" said Morrigan, annoyed.

"Goodbye, Morrigan."

Morrigan immediately left Elissa's room, shape-shifted into a dog and ran towards the stairs, leaving Elissa crying and broken.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Alistair was seating alone in his room, on the bed, thinking about what Riordan had just told them.

_'She's going to do IT! Maker! She's going to kill the Archdemon and DIE... in case Riordan fails! Stubborn, stubborn woman! I hope Riodan won't fail! She is still mad on me, I should talk to her, tell her something… but Maker … is this a good idea? What if I get an other black eye? I still remember the one from Leliana...'_

He remembered how he got the black eye from Leliana in the camp near Denerim a few days ago:

_'I was seating alone in the camp, near the fire as usual, trying to gather my thoughts and control my feelings using my templar training, when Leliana, Zevran, Wynne, Oghren, Morrigan, Sten and Shale approached me._

"_You are such an ass-hole! You broke up with her after the Landsmeet? Why? I thought you will propose to her… you love each other so much. Why Alistair? Why?" said Leliana screaming at me._

"_Look, Leliana, I cannot marry Elissa, I can't tell you the reason why… it's a Grey Warden secret." I tried to explain to her somehow._

"_And I bet she didn't know about this 'secret' until now. Is it not? Why didn't you tell her sooner? You told her all those beautiful words, told her you love her, made her believe you have a future together… Why?" she screamed again._

"_Look, I tried… didn't find the right moment… you know!" but I lied._

"_Didn't find the right moment or didn't WANT to find the right moment?" screamed Leliana._

"_It looks that IT has deceived the Warden! " said Shale. _

"_You hold back information from your commanding officer!" continued Sten._

"_Well, well… so you're not an innocent Chantry boy after all! Seducing the beautiful Warden… deceiving her in the end… " said the assassin, smirking._

"_I told the Warden long ago that love is a weakness. She didn't listen to me then, now look at this mess, right before the final battle!" screamed Morrigan at me._

"_Look… I don't want to discuss this with either of you right now! Just leave me alone!" I said trying to break free from their fight._

"_You're a lair and a cheater and…" and then Leliana punched me pretty hard._

"_Couldn't say it better myself!" said Oghren._

"_I won't heal you until morning, young man, you deserve to feel the pain!" said Wynne as she walked away from me._

_And so I got that black eye… Wynne healed me in the morning after she had helped Elissa recover from her hangover. I should try to talk to Elissa, even if I risk an other black eye.'_

As Alistair left his room he saw something small moving on the hallway, near the stairs.

"Wait… it's that a dog? I feel magic… Morrigan is that you?" he said surprised.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"


	4. Nothing Comes Without a Price

_**This chapter contains explicit mature content.**_

_Many thanks to **fifespice** for her nice reviews and to all of you who subscribed to my story. _

**Chapter 4 : Nothing Comes Without a Price**

"_There's no glory without sacrifice." ~ Bicol Filipino _

There was blood and bodies everywhere... humans, elves, dwarves... hurlocks, shrieks, genlocks, ogres, darkspawn emisarries... their bodies were scattered on the top of Fort Drakon, the highest point in Denerim. Elissa looked at the lifeless body of her fateful friend Nero, her black mabari who had saved her life and had been crushed in the dragon's powerful jaws. The dragon had wanted to grab Elissa, but Nero pushed her and was grabbed instead.

"He's dead… Wynne has not able bring him back, his injuries were too severe… Good bye my fateful friend! Thank you for saving my life one last time!"

The beast, the Archdemon, was severely injured but still not death. '_One more blow and it will be over, the darkspawn will scatter, the Blight will end; there will be peace again...' _thought Elissa as she grabbed a two-hands long sword, then she took one deep breath and…

"Wait! I know that you told Riodan that you will make the final blow, but please, let ME do it!" said Alistair as he jumped in front of Elissa and grabbed her arms.

"I cannot let you do this, you're the future king, you will make a good king, Alistair!" she answered him, as she was thinking of a way to escape from his arms.

"Then let me do it. I want to be a good King, let me do my duty as a King, let me end the Blight!" he tried again to persuade her, but he failed.

"No, I'm sorry Alistair. I'll do it, please don't make things harder… I should have commanded Sten to force you to remain at the City Gates!" she answered angrily as the memory of their argument at the City Gates came back to her.

After defeating all the darkspawn from the Denerim City Gates, Riodan told Elissa to take only three of her companions on the top of Fort Drakon to fight the Archdemon. She had decided to take Wynne, Leliana and Sten, but Alistair argued with her.

She remembered their argument:

_'"NO, you cannot leave me here, I'm a Grey Warden too! " screamed Alistair._

"_Alistair, we've already discussed this, I cannot risk you getting hurt, you're the future King; Ferelden needs you alive!" tried Elissa to persuade him._

"_Stop testing your persuasion skills on me Elissa! It won't work! Well… not THIS TIME, anyway… The point is that we MUST end the Blight by all means, King or no King, I still have a duty as a Grey Warden! I must be there with you in case you… in case you fall too and cannot take the final blow!"_

"_I guess you have a point here… all right, but I'll make the final blow and you will stay out of the main battle, we'll take Nero with us too! And you, your majesty, will remain in the back, guarding Wynne!"_

"_Great… I'm replaced by a dog… All right, anything, just let me go with you!"_

"_Let's go, there is no time to waste!"'_

"Well, Sten is not here right now, so you cannot stop me from doing it! Look Elissa, I don't want you to die, you know how I feel about you… " said Alistair.

"I cannot let you die either! Wynne! NOW!" said Elissa turning to face Wynne.

Wynne nodded and prepared herself to cast a paralysis spell on Alistair as she remembered her conversation with Elissa 3 days ago in her room in the Redcliffe Castle:

_'I was reading a book about 'Advanced Potion Making' when I heard a knock at the door._

"_Come in!" I said as I was closing the book._

_It was Elissa, she looked sad, broken, her eyes were red from tears._

"_Wynne, I have something to ask you." she said as she was getting closer to me._

"_Of course, my dear, what can I do for you?" I answered in a calm voice, trying to comfort her._

"_I need to tell you a Grey Warden secret, but first I need you to promise me that you won't tell anybody about this. Can I have your word on this Wynne?"_

"_Of course Elissa, you have my word."_

_And then she told me about the real reason the Grey Wardens are necessary in order to end the Blight, about the sacrifice._

"_I need you to cast a paralyze spell on Alistair in case he insists on making the killing blow himself. " she said to me, as her eyes were trying hard to hold back the tears._

"_I'll do it, Elissa, you have my word. I only wish there could be an other way."_

"_Thank you, Wynne. Good night!" said Elissa and left my room.'_

"No Wynne, don't do it, whatever she commanded you to do in order to stop me, I order you..." screamed Alistair.

Too late, Wynne had already cast the paralyze spell on Alistair.

"I love you, Alistair. I'm sorry you'll have to watch me making the killing blow." said Elissa as she kissed his lips one last time.

_'I love you too, Elissa. Always!'_ but his lips where paralyzed by the spell and he was able only to make an incomprehensible sound.

"I'm sorry Alistair, but Elissa is right, you need to be king. It is your duty to be king, she's doing her Warden duty right now, ending the Blight. Her sacrifice shall not be forgotten!" said the old mage.

"For the Grey Wardens!" screamed Elissa, as she charged the Archdemon one last time.

_'Maker, please save her! Maker please let Morrigan's plan work!' _thought Alistair, as he was watching Elissa stabbing the dragon's long throat; then with a war cry, she made the killing blow.

Alistair remembered what had happened three days ago in the Redcliffe castle:

_'When Alistair left his room he saw something small moving near the stairs._

"_Wait… it's that a dog? I feel magic… Morrigan is that you?" he said surprised._

_The dog stopped, looked at him and started to transform._

"_Wow, Morrigan, did you just had to do that? That is disgusting! I've just ate… yuck." said Alistair looking at a half-dog half-human Morrigan._

"_And how was I supposed to answer you Alistair? Do you understand 'bark-bark'?" answered a now full human Morrigan._

"_Yeah… you could have warned me or something… but I guess you have a point. So what's with the disguise? Going for a walk in the forest? Need some wolf-time? Are you missing your four legs friends? Ah… the two leg ones are not good enough for you, I see." said Alistair in a sarcastic tone. _

"_Stop making fun of me, you fool! I have no four legs friends!" screamed Morrigan at him._

"_Oh… so now we discover how you never had a friend in your entire life!"_

"_Only one..." said Morrigan sadly._

_There was silence for a few seconds, but Alistair decided to break the silence first and said: "So Morrigan, what are you really up to?"_

"_'Tis' none of your business!"_

"_Riiight… I'll just go find Elissa now. Do you know where she might be?"_

"_She's in her room, but I don't think she wants to see you right now."_

_Morrigan sighed. "I've just spoke to her. She's upset right now."_

_Alistair sighed too._

"_Look Alistair , there's something you need to know… we need to talk, privately. I suggest going to my room, since it's the nearest."_

_Alistair nodded and followed Morrigan into her room._

"_So what's all this secrecy?What are you cooking up, Morrigan?"_

"_I know about the sacrifice, about the Grey Warden secret..."_

"_How do you know?"_

"_'Tis' not important how I know. There is a way out, a way you both to live..."_

"_Yeah, if Riodan makes the final blow."_

"_No, he will fail, I know it for sure."_

"_Wait, what? How do you know?"_

"_I cannot tell you how… now shut up and listen to what I have to say!"_

"_Fine, say it!"_

"_There is a way out, there is a ritual performed on the eve of the battle..."_

"_Magic… probably forbidden!"_

"_Old magic… but that is not the point! This will work, this will save Elissa!"_

"_I suppose you already spoke to Elissa, what did she say?"_

"_She cannot give me what I need to perform the ritual, but you can."_

"_Oh, I get it! You want something from me. So what is it that you want, Morrigan? My blood?"_

"_Close, but no, not your blood. I need your seed."_

"_Andraste's flaming sword, my WHAT?"_

"_You heard me!"_

"_Why do you need something like that from me?"_

"_From our 'union' I child will be conceived, born with the taint in its blood. When the final blow is made, the Archdemon's soul will search the child like beacon. At this early stage, the child will absorb its soul, becoming a child with the soul of an untainted Old God and no Grey Warden will die in the process. After the battle you allow me to leave and you do not follow. NEVER."_

"_Morrigan, are you insane? You want a child with the soul of an Old God? MY child? What's in for you? Do you want a heir to the throne, the power of an Old God or perhaps both?"_

"_Don't be foolish, Alistair. I don't want your throne, you have my word for it. Look Alistair, this will save Elissa, trust me."_

"_How can I trust you, Morrigan? You don't care about anybody than yourself!"_

"_I do care about Elissa."_

"_No, I don't believe you! I'm not going to caboodle with you, woman! We are done talking here!"_

_He turned his back at Morrigan, walking to the door, but his body stopped suddenly, frozen by Morrigan's spell. She came close to him._

"_Listen to me , you ignorant fool! I DO care about Elissa! She is my only friend, she's like a sister to me! She saved me from a faith worst than death, possession… she killed Flemeth for me! So yes, I owe her a lot and I DO want her to live and to be happy."_

_After 10 seconds…_

"_But you… you said to her that you love her, yet you don't want to save her life. She's ready to give her life for you, she loves you, she won't let you die! You broke her heart, made her suffer and she still loves **you**!"_

_After 5 more seconds…_

"_I do not want to 'caboodle' with you either, I find it disgusting too. But maybe there is an other way to solve this, all I need is your seed, I'll do the rest myself."_

_Then, the freezing spell broke… and Alistair was able to speak again._

"_Alright, I'll do it for Elissa, Maker forgive me! So what exactly do I have to do?"_

"_You go now into your room and pleasure yourself, think about Elissa… about something pleasant … like that time in the Brecilian Forest, near the waterfall, perhaps? Put your seed into this jar here, then bring it back to me."_

"_I… how do you now about THAT?"_

"_Zevran told us… he used to watch you when you were … 'caboodling'. He bribed Nero with mabari crunches."_

"_That sex obsessed son of a whore! I knew I should have killed him when I had the chance! And that traitorous dog! Zevran used to tell you about our..."_

"_Yeah, what can I say? Life in the camp is pretty boring! I found it disgusting… Leliana , on the other hand, liked listening to his… 'details'."_

"_Great, so much for privacy!"_

"_Go now, we don't have all the night!"_

"_Right… I'll go now… do the… thing."_

"_Don't forget the jar!"_

_Alistair went to his room, undressed and got up in the bed. _

"_I can't believe I'm doing this… Maker, please forgive me! But I must save Elissa! Must focus on that night at the waterfall in the Brecilian Forest..."_

_He remembered an event that took place three months ago, in the Brecilian Forest._

_They had just saved the Dalish elves from the werewolf curse and got Lanaya's word regarding the Grey Warden treaty. The party had camped in a small clearing at the edge of the Brecilian Forest. _

_It was a beautiful hot summer night. A shining full moon was lighting Alistair and Elissa's path through the forest. They were heading for a small waterfall not too far away from the party's camp. The forest was quiet and safe now. No more werewolves, no more wild sylvans, it was time for a little well deserved relaxation. They arrived at the waterfall and started to undress quickly, both glad to finally have some time for themselves. Nero was left near their clothes and weapons with strict orders to take watch and bark at any sight of trouble._

_The water has refreshing, cooling their hot bodies as they swum near the waterfall. They got under the waterfall and were happy to feel the fresh water dropping on their bodies. It was nice to refresh themselves this way on a hot summer day! Elissa kissed Alistair and started to gently wash his body with an elfroot soap bar that she brought with her. She started with his muscular shoulders and slowly got down, rubbing and washing his skin all the way to his navel. Then she bent down as she gently washed his penis and his testicles, playing with them. She purred some water with her hands to wash away the soap. She looked into his golden-brown eyes, which were shining, full of desire, smiled and took the top of his erection into her mouth, stoking it at the same time with her right hand._

_Alistair felt his head getting dizzy, the warm sensation of her lips on his erection and the sight of her tasting him were overwhelming. Her tongue has teasing him, her hand was now playing with his testicles, gently squeezing them. He closed his eyes, trying to use his templar training to hold back the need for his release. _

_After a few minutes he opened his eyes looking at her and said: "Elissa, please stop! I can't hold back much longer and I don't want to end it so soon..."_

"_How was it?Was that alright?" she asked him looking into his eyes._

"_That was perfect! And I think that it's only fair that I return the favor." he smiled and took the soap from Elissa's hand._

_It was her turn now to be washed and touched from neck to naval, until he reached her wet heat between her tights and rubbed it with his hand. He started to tease her entrance with his mouth, making Elissa moan and cry out his name with passion. Her body arched as he slipped one of his fingers into her, his mouth still licking her clitoris. She closed her eyes and started to moan and cry out his name while his fingers glided in and out her wet core. After a few minutes, Elissa's body trembled and she felt the pleasure brought by her release._

"_I'm not done with you yet, my love."said Alistair as he lifted her up into his arms and walked through the water until he reached the river's shore. '_

_Always the practical one, my love', he thought as he saw the blanket that Elissa had already laid on the grass before they entered the water. He placed Elissa on the blanket kissing her with full passion. He watched her closer, and smiled. She looked so beautiful in the moon light! Her beautiful green eyes were full of desire, her white soft skin was shining, her round breasts where gorgeous, her slim, but muscular body was… perfect. He kissed her left ear, licking her earlobe, then moved to her neck, kissing her skin all the way to her left breast. _

_His hands lowered to her tights as he placed himself on top of her, ready to enter her wet core. Elissa cried out his name while he entered her slowly, his hands moving now to her breasts, gently squeezing them. His thrusts where deeper and faster, followed by moans of passion and in a few minutes she reached her release. Seeing her satisfied, Alistair thrust faster and deeper until he released his seed into her._

_Alistair opened his eyes and looked at the half-full jar in his hand. He got out of the bed, washed and dressed into some light trousers and a tunic quickly. He left his room in a hurry; Morrigan was expecting him._

"_I see that you got what I need. Good!" said Morrigan when he entered her room, looking at the jar in his hands._

"_Morrigan, are you sure this will work?"_

"_Yes, it will work. I'm sure."_

"_I hope you're right, but I'd better try to persuade Elissa to let me take the final blow myself, just in case!"_

"_So, are you going to tell her that we did the ritual?"_

"_It's kind of late right now to go and tell her, she's probably sleeping. I'll tell her after the battle, that is… if the ritual works."_

_A deep sigh fell from his lips as he gave Morrigan the jar._

"_Morrigan, do you really have to leave? Where are you going to raise our child?"_

"_Yes, I'm leaving after I complete the ritual, but I'll be there when the final blow is made. You must promise me you will not follow and never look for us. NEVER."_

"_I'm not happy about this, but you don't give me any choice here, do you? Morrigan, can I ask you at least something?"_

"_WHAT?"_

"_Morrigan, please be good to him … or her!"_

"_I'm not my mother, Alistair!" she screamed at him._

"_Maybe you're not your mother, but you're still so… you know… YOU."_

"_I'll do my best." said Morrigan with sadness in her voice._

"_And please tell him that I love him!"_

"_I'd rather tell him that his father is a jar!"_

"_Yeah… a good one Morrigan, but he'll understand that it's a lie, when he'll be old enough. I don't want him to feel abandoned and used… like I was."_

"_Anything, just leave me to complete the ritual! I don't have all the night, you know!" said Morrigan annoyed._

"_Goodbye , Morrigan."_

"_Goodbye, Alistair."_


	5. The Show Must Go On

_Many thanks to all of you who wrote reviews and to all who subscribed to my story. _

**Chapter 5 : The Show Must Go On**

_"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." ~ Seneca_

Every inch of Elissa's body was hurting.

'_Wasn't death supposed to mean at least lack of pain? Could it be that I'm still alive?'_ thought Elissa.

Somebody was praying next to her in a familiar voice. Alistair's voice.

_'Maybe I'm not dead yet...'_ she thought as she forced herself to open her eyes. She saw Alistair holding her in his arms, praying. He startled when he saw her eyes opening.

"You're alive! Thank the Maker! Wynne! WYNNE! She's alive, help her!" he screamed, not believing his eyes, as he was wiping away the tears from his face.

"Oh dear… she's really alive!" said Wynne as she cast a healing spell on Elissa.

The healing magic stopped Elissa's pain and she smiled gratefully at both Alistair and Wynne.

"Rest now, dear. You're going to be alright." said the old mage as she cast another spell.

Elissa's eyes closed immediately and she fell into a deep sleep.

"Thank the Maker she's alive!" said Alistair to Wynne.

"A miracle indeed! I don't know how it happened, but I'm happy she not dead. She has some pretty nasty wounds, but she'll survive. " answered Wynne as she was examining Elissa's body.

Alistair's eyes spotted a golden eyed dog, not too far from them. The dog was surrounded by magic, he could feel it.

_'Morrigan. Her ritual had worked! Thank the Maker!' _thought Alistair.

He started to think about the consequences of the ritual. History was going to repeat itself, how ironical! Another unwanted bastard child will be born, this time a child with the power of an Old God. He or she will probably be used and manipulated just like Alistair was. The future king thought if he had made the right decision; he had let himself be manipulated by the witch, she had used his love for Elissa as a manipulation tool to get what she wanted: the power of an Old God.

_'Who knows what she's going to do with so much power!' _thought the king, doubting if he did the right thing.

But he looked at Elissa and his heart told him he was wrong.

_'Maybe I'm too naive, but I really believed Morrigan when she said that she cared about Elissa.'_

The witch had changed… he had also changed during their adventures through Ferelden. Somehow Elissa's influence has changed them all: he had been hardened, but on the other hand, Morrigan's heart had been softened. No! He had done the right thing. He saved Elissa. Her death would have destroyed his heart!

_'Sometimes, the right decision comes from the heart' , _he thought as he watched the dog avoiding some templars and disappearing into the night. He would let the witch get away this time, but will have to face the consequences of the ritual later. Someday he will have to apologize to his son or daughter for that decision. He was sure of it! It was a compromise he would have to live with.

Arl Eamon was approaching them. The solders had already killed all the remaining darkspawn and were cheering for their future king:

"Long live King Alistair! Long live King Alistair!" he heard the solders yelling.

"You majesty, the darkspawn have retreated. We have won! It it over, the Blight is over!" said Eamon with joy in his voice.

Alistair smiled, looked at the cheerful solders and thought _:'We did it! We've ended the Blight!Duncan would be proud of us! Cailan too! It is done! The Blight is over!'_

"Your majesty, the people are cheering you name, you must go to them and make a small speech." said the old arl, interrupting Alistair's thoughts.

"I guess you're right, Eamon! Let's go!" answered the king and looked again at Elissa_. 'She's in good hands. Wynne will take care of her. I'm the king now, I have to go and speak to my people.' _he thought as he headed for the cheerful crowd. He promised himself to be a good king, a rightful and fair one, but also to listen to his heart each time he would have to make a hard decision.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Elissa opened her eyes and tried to see where she was... to remember what had happened.

_'This is not the Fade!' _she thought as she looked around. She was laid in a big soft bed near a window. The room was beautifully decorated, its walls were covered in golden tapestry with small crown decorations.

_'It must be the Royal Palace!'_ she thought as she looked around and spotted a white haired mage seated on a chair not too far from her.

"Wynne?" whispered Elissa, trying to clear her throat so that she could speak louder.

"You're awake! Good!" said Wynne as she approached her.

"What happened? Where am I?" asked Elissa .

"You've ended the Blight, dear! I'm so proud of you! We're in the Royal Palace, in one of the guest rooms." answered Wynne smiling.

"Is Alistair alright? Where is he?" said Elissa with fear in her voice. '_Maker, did he take the final blow himself? I can't remember what happened…_ ' thought Elissa as she looked scared into Wynne's eyes.

"He's fine, he has already been crowned yesterday. I'll go tell the servant to announce him. " said Wynne and went to the door. She opened it and told something to the servant that was waiting outside the room.

"Wynne, what happened on the top of Fort Drakon? I can't remember..." said Elissa.

"Well, you made the final blow, killed the Archdemon and were severely wounded by the explosion that released the Old God's soul. Yet, you somehow survived the blow, it was a miracle! I'm happy you're alive! I guess Riordan might have been wrong about the sacrifice thing… " answered Wynne with calm in her voice.

Elissa wanted to answer Wynne, but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in!" said Wynne.

"Elissa!" screamed a happy Alistair as he was running her.

"Alistair!" answered Elissa smiling at him.

"I'm so happy that you are alright!" he said smiling too.

He tried hard to control himself, as he wanted to kiss her and hold her in his arms. But he just remembered the discussion with Arl Eamon, not too long ago, about the importance of finding a wife to bear his heir as soon as possible.

"I think I'll go tell the others." said Wynne and got out of the room leaving Alistair and Elissa alone.

"So, Alistair, how is it that I'm still… alive ?" asked Elissa with fear in her voice.

"Oh, riiight… about that. I guess I didn't have the chance to tell you about it before the battle… Morrigan performed the ritual… You know, she told you about it..." answered Alistair and looked into Elissa's eyes, feeling his cheeks turning red.

"So you and Morrigan cooked this up behind my back?" asked a surprised Elissa.

"Yeah… imagine THAT… me and Morrigan working together!" answered Alistair, laughing.

_'No, I don't want to imagine THAT! I really DON'T!' _thought Elissa holding back the feeling to throw up. _'Good thing I have an empty stomach right now!' _ she thought, looking at the floor.

"I'm so sorry for all the things I said to you after the Landsmeet, Elissa. I really am! I wish things were different and simpler… I never wanted to become king, you know it! Could you ever forgive me?" said Alistair with sadness in his voice.

"You'll be a good king! What's done it's done, let us not think about it! I've already forgiven you, maybe we can be friends again?" said Elissa smiling again and looking back into his eyes.

"Friends… yes , of course… the best friends ever!" he said, but was not happy at all about what he just said.

"Thank you for saving my life, Alistair! I know it wasn't an easy thing to do..." she said, her eyes looking back at the floor.

"Oh… about that… it wasn't-" he tried to explain how the ritual really happened, but his sentence was interrupted by a heavy knock on the door.

"By the tits of my Ancestors! The Warden is harder than the Stone itself! I like you, Warden!" screamed a happy half-drunken dwarf that had just entered the room.

"You have fulfilled your duty, Kadan; you ended the Blight just as promised! You have my respect!" said Sten, following Oghren.

"It had defeated a giant bird, IT has my eternal gratitude!" said Shale.

"Well, it's good to see that you're alright, my dear Warden! It would have been such a shame for such a lovely woman as yourself to perish!" said the assassin seductively.

"I'm so happy you're alive, Elissa!" said a happy Leliana, from behind Shale's back.

"It's good to see you too, my friends!" answered Elissa and smiled at her traveling companions.

"I have a big surprise for you, Elissa! There is a very handsome man outside, waiting to see you!" said Leliana grinning from ear to ear.

"Well, who is he?" answered a surprised Elissa.

"As I've said, it's a surprise! I'll go tell him to come in!" continued Leliana and left the room.

After a few seconds, Leliana came back followed by a handsome man with a bowl of hot soup in his hands.

"I've told the cook to prepare your favorite soup, little sister!" said the man smiling at Elissa and coming closer to them.

"Fergus!" screamed Elissa not believing her eyes.

"Yes, it's me, little sister!" said Fergus.

"You're alive! I'm so glad to see you!" said Elissa

"You took the words right of my mouth, Eli! I've missed you too, little one!" said Fergus placing the soup on a table nearby and gently embracing Elissa.

"Wynne told me to be gentle to you, you're still recovering. You need to eat this soup I've brought you!" he said pointing at the hot soup.

"I think it's time to go; we'll leave you two alone." said Leliana and left the room followed by the others.

"Fergus, I still can't believe my eyes… what happened to you, my dear brother?" asked Elissa.

"I'll tell you everything while you'll eat the soup. You must eat, my dear sister, you have not eaten for three days." he said as he gave Elissa the bowl.

Fergus took a seat on a chat near the bed and started to tell Elissa all he had been through since Ostagar.

"You've got some quite interesting friends there Elissa!" he said after he finished his story.

"Yeah, tell me about it! They are strange, but good friends!" she said laughing.

"That giant stone man is quite creepy and so is the quanari! The dwarf is always drinking, I don't know how he manages to carry that giant ax everywhere in his… condition! " he said laughing.

"Oh, and he fights with it too! Imagine THAT!" said Elissa roaring with laughter.

"That Antivian elf has been trying to convince me to have a massage from the first second we've met!" continued Fergus.

"I know what you mean! Well, if you keep turning him down, he'll only try harder! Just ignore him!" said Elissa laughing herself into fit.

"That red-headed bard keeps trying to seduce me… I don't know what to do about her either!" said Fergus getting serious.

"What can I say, you are a very handsome man, my brother! She's a good girl, Leliana..."

"I've noticed that… but I'm just not ready yet to… move on, you know!" said Fergus with sadness in his eyes.

There was silence for a few seconds, but Elissa decided to speak first.

"I'm so sorry about Oriana and Oren, Fergus!" said Elissa trying hard to hold back the tears.

"I know. I only wish I could have been there with you when you killed Howe!" answered Fergus with anger in his eyes.

Elissa told Fergus a short summary of her adventures, starting from the moment when Howe's men attacked Highever and ending with the event on the top of Fort Drakon. Fergus listened carefully, holding back all his questions, not wanting to interrupt her.

"So, you and the King… " said Fergus suddenly after Elissa finished her tale.

"Oh, Fergus! It's really a long story! Did Leliana tell you about him?"

"Yeah, she told me a few things! I just want to kick his royal ass so hard..."

"NO, Fergus! Don't… you don't understand… it's complicated… Look, Fergus, he saved my life there, on the top of Fort Drakon, if it weren't for him, I would have been dead right now! You should be grateful to him! " said Elissa.

"You almost died there! How do you know he saved your life? All I know is that he used you and then he dumped you like a wh-" said Fergus, avoiding the disgusting word that almost slipped his lips.

"Look, Fergus… this is not what it seems… it's more complicated. I'll tell you the details later, I promise! Now let's talk about something else, please!" said Elissa trying to calm him down.

"Alright, but I want to know everything later. I want to go back to Highever soon, Eli… will you come with me?" said Fergus as he calmed down.

"Yes, dear brother, I'll come to Highever with you and we shall rebuild it together!" answered Elissa with hope in her eyes.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

The king was siting in his office alone, drinking a glass of wine and thinking about how he just managed to survive his first meeting with the nobles. He was feeling confident that he had made a good impression and was starting to think that he somehow liked that king-business thing. His desk was full of all sorts of books and papers.

A month had already passed since the Archdemon's death and the country was starting to rebuild slowly. He had spent all of his time studying politics, trade, foreign affairs and was beginning to master the basics of all of them. Everything happened so fast, each day had been so full of events. He had little time to rest or sleep, but he was grateful for that because each time he tried to relax, his mind was bringing back sweet memories about Elissa. He missed her so much! Last time he saw her was at the Celebration party in the Landsmeet chamber, two days after his coronation, but he hardly managed to speak a few words to her in private, due to the huge amount of kingly things he had to do. He had been always surrounded by nobles or arl Eamon had been nagging him about something. She had left with her brother Fergus right after the party, heading for Highever. The other traveling companions had left too: Sten had returned to his homeland, Wynne and Shale had left for the Trevinter Imperium to find a way for Shale to become a dwarf again, Leliana had returned to Orlais to find Marjolaine and Zevran had gone somewhere unknown, hiding from the Crows, probably. Only Oghren had remained for a few more days, but he had also left soon to Lake Calenhad to find Felsi.

The king took a trade report and started to read it; that was the only way he could block the memories that were tormenting him: bury himself in work and - _'Thank the Maker!' - _he had a huge amount of reports on his desk!


	6. Living With the Consequences

_Many thanks to all of you who wrote reviews and to all who subscribed to my story. _

_**This chapter contains explicit mature content.**_

**Chapter 6: Living With the Consequences**

_"You never really stop loving someone. You just learn to try to live without them."- Unknown author_

_Elissa was enjoying a hot and relaxing bath when she heard a knock at the door. _

"_Just a moment!" she said, wondering who might be. _

_Elissa quickly got out of the tub and wiped her body in a hurry with a towel placed nearby, then put a simple dress on and went to open the door._

"_I've missed you so much, my love!" said Alistair as he picked Elissa up in his arms and kissed her passionately._

"_Alistair, what… are… you… doing… here?" asked Elissa between his hungry kisses._

"_I'm not here to talk, love!" he whispered in her ear seductively, while his tongue was licking her ear lobe. Elissa wanted to protest, to get him out of the room, but her body betrayed her and all she could say was a deep moan. His tongue moved now to her neck, then slowly to her collarbone, placing small kisses on the way and sending shivers on her spine. He shut the door behind him with his left foot and carried her in his arms towards the bed; he laid her on it gently. Then, with one precise move, he pulled out her light dress and admired her perfect forms._

"_Maker's breath, woman! You are so beautiful!" he said as he bent forward Elissa and kissed her hungrily, his hands gently roaming over her curves, making his gorgeous lover moan into his mouth. Alistair looked into her shinning eyes, full of desire and passion, and smiled seductively. He moved his mouth over one of her already hardened nipples, licking it, as he gently squeezed her round breasts with his hands. Elissa's hands found the buttons of his shirt and started to unbutton them. He stopped for a second, took off his shirt quickly and then lowered his head to her other nipple, licking it also. _

_His hands moved then to her well-shaped tights, touching them slowly as he gently lifted her legs up, opening them and buried his head between them. His tongue found her wet core and started to gently suck her entrance, making Elissa cry out his name. She was already wet with desire, and he felt he couldn't wait any longer. He wanted her, he needed her right there, or he would have surely died of desire. His hands unfastened his trousers and, with one single move, he managed to pull out both his trousers and his small cloths at the same time, revealing his full hardened manhood. She licked her lips as she pushed her hips forward at the sight of his big erection, anticipating his following action. She wanted him so bad inside her, to fill both her body and her soul again, to bend with him and become whole again. He didn't wait much longer, he kissed her again hungrily and placed his hips between her long and beautiful legs, searching her entrance. _

_'Alistair!' she moaned his name while he entered her slowly, arching her back and pushing her hips forward to meet him. His strong hands were holding her hips tight, as he slid inside her deeper and faster, making them both growl and close their eyes at the same time. Her moans made him thrust harder, his body was slamming into hers over and over again with all his power, as his desire was too strong to control his need for a release. He exploded into her soon, releasing his seed as he heard her crying out her own release._

_He kissed her gently, then rolled off to pull her against him and hold her in his arms._

Elissa woke up all sweated. She realized that it was early morning, as she saw the sun rising up on a window close to her. She was feeling cold; she rolled on the other side of the bed, searching Alistair's body to warm herself in his embrace, but she was shocked to discover that she was alone in the bed. She tried to remember where she was, while she studied the room. It was her older room in the Highever Castle. Her eyes turned sad as she came back to reality, realizing that it was just a dream. She couldn't hold back the tears as she remembered how real it was! She felt so happy and whole in his arms again! But, unfortunately, it was just another dream!

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

As Elissa entered the kitchen's door, she was startled by her brother's voice.

"Morning, Eli! Here, come have some breakfast!" said Fergus.

"Thanks, Fergus."

He studied her carefully as she was approaching the table and saw her red and swallowed eyes.

"You look tired, sister. darkspawn nightmare again?" he said worried.

"Yeah… another nightmare," she answered as she took a seat next to him.

"Eat fast, there is work to do. We've got quests today. A messenger just arrived with the news."

"Who's coming?" she asked as she poured herself a glass of milk.

"The king." he said in a cold voice.

Elissa started to caught as she just choked drinking some milk.

"What's his business here?" she asked after she caught for a few seconds.

"I don't know, the messenger didn't know much, he was told only to announce the king's arrival today in the evening. I want you to promise me something, Elissa," said Fergus, as she was recovering from her choking.

"What?" she asked, looking worried into his eyes.

"I want you to promise me that no matter what he's going to do, no matter what he's going to say, you won't run back to him! That man made it clear enough that he won't marry you, Elissa. I can't let you become his mistress, you deserve better then that, Elissa Cousland!"

"I… Fergus..." whispered Elissa.

"Promise me, Elissa! You know Mother and Father would have never allowed that! PROMISE ME!"

"I do, I promise you, Fergus. But you must also promise me that you won't punch him or even worse... promise me that you won't provoke him to a duel!"

"Good, you better keep your promise, sister, or I'll kick his royal ass so bad… ever if I risk being executed!"

"Then we have a deal, brother!"

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Highever had significantly prospered over the last five months, since the Cousland siblings had taken back their lands and their Castle from Howe's senechal. It hadn't been an easy task, as Howe had stolen all their gold from the vault and had also sold all their valuable possessions from the Castle, but the Couslands had done their best to rebuild the estate. Farms had been rebuilt, new furniture had been bought, servants and guards had been hired, the Castle's walls had been repaired. The people of Highever loved the young Cousland siblings, as they were kind and fair just like their parents had been. It had been difficult for both young Couslands to return to their home, as the Castle was full of old and painful memories.

They never found their parents, Oriana and Oren bodies, Howe must had ordered his new appointed senechal to burn them. All that Fergus and Elissa had been able to do was build a magnificent stone memorial in the castle's yard with their lost family members faces and names and a small funeral had been held in their honor.

The two siblings had helped each other overcome their fear and pain and were thankful to the Maker that they were at least having each other. Elissa had told Fergus all the details about her adventures through Ferelden, even the Grey Warden secrets, and was grateful that she had survived the Archdemon's killing blow through Morrigan's ritual. She was aware that there would be dangerous consequences to the ritual, but for the moment she was just thankful that Fergus was alive and they had successfully rebuilt Highever together. Her death would had permanently destroyed Fergus heart... for sure.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

The king's party was approaching the Cousland Castle, followed by a horse-drawn wagon that was carrying a big stone monument. The king was restless on his horse, he seemed sad and worried. He was also looking very tired, with dark circles under his eyes. Over the last five months he had been very busy learning all the details about how to administer and rule a country and he had had little time for rest. In addition to that, he had had those hot and naughty sex dreams about Elissa almost every night. He had been getting up in the middle of the night searching her in his bed, just to be disappointed that he was alone and he had tormented himself with painful memories for the rest of the night. He wanted so much to see her again, to hear her voice again, he missed her so much!

Arl Eamon, his chancellor, had been nagging him everyday to find a wife and was playing matchmaker each time he had the chance. He even suggested to hold a big ball and to invite all the single noble women of Ferelden to attend it, except for Elissa, of course. Alistair had denied the idea instantly, trying to blame it on the fact that they didn't have money to waste on a fancy ball. But he was aware that someday he would have to marry and have an heir to the throne; he could not run away from his duty for too long.

The king entered the Castle's yard, followed by his guards and was happily surprised to see that Fergus and Elissa were already expecting them there. He couldn't take his eyes from Elissa who was dressed in a beautiful green dress with golden embroideries. The dress was matching her beautiful green eyes and was fitting her well, emphasizing her gorgeous body curves. Alistair just realized that he hadn't seen her in a dress until that moment there. _'_

_Maker's breath! You're beautiful! I'm such a stupid man!' _he thought as he was staring at her like a fool.

"Welcome to Highever, your majesty! Would your highness be so kind to share with us the reason for your unexpected visit? " said Fergus in a cold voice, as he bowed to the king.

The king startled as he was brought back to reality by Fergus's words, then dismounted his horse and got closer to the Cousland siblings.

"Teyrn Fergus, Lady Elissa, I pleasure to see you!" he said smiling as he remembered how Eamon had taught him to always call the nobles using their titles.

"Your majesty," said Elissa as she bowed to the king.

"I'm here to place a memorial statue in Duncan's honor. I was told that his birthplace is here, in Highever. I'm also here to see an old friend..." he said smiling like a fool as he was looking at Elissa.

"Of course, your majesty, our castle is your castle. Let us just go inside, as your majesty must be tried and hungry. I'll see that your horses are taken care of," said Fergus and immediately gave some orders to one of his servants regarding the king party's horses.

The king followed Fergus and Elissa into the estate, heading for the dinning room. He was pleased to noticed the way the castle had been decorated with fresh beautiful flowers. He stopped for a moment near a huge Cousland family portrait painting on the wall. The king was very surprised to see the big resemblances between Elissa and her parents, as Elissa had her mother's green eyes, but her father's delicate facial features. He wanted to comment about it, but he remembered the tragical death of Elissa's parents almost an year ago and decided that it was not appropriate to discuss it.

"The dinning room is this way, your highness," said Fergus noticing the king stopping in front of the family painting.

The king nodded and followed the Cousland siblings into the castle's big dinning room. There was a big oak-wood table placed right in the middle of the room; it was covered with all kinds of food and drinks.

"Your majesty, please take a sit at the head of the table. Your guards may eat and drink there also, " said Fergus as he pointed to a smaller table placed in a corner of the room.

"I'll tell the servant to bring some water for your Majesty to wash before dinner," continued Fergus and gave an order to a servant nearby to bring a small washbasin with warm water, a soap and a towel for the king.

"Good. I'm starving," said the king as he took a sit at the big table.

Fergus sat down to the table near the king and Elissa took a sit near her brother, avoiding the king's suspicious look. The king noticed the way Fergus was sitting now between him and Elissa, like he was trying to protect her from him. He felt that something wasn't quite right, as he remembered Elissa being so quiet, she actually hadn't said a word except for the greeting in the castle's yard.

'_Of course he's trying to protect her from you! You broke her heart five months ago, you stupid bastard! You're so lucky he didn't hit you yet... maybe because he cannot hurt the king without risking being executed..." _thought the king.

"Does his majesty know exactly where Duncan's birth place is in Highever?_" _askedFergus looking at the king.

"Yes, one of my advisers had given me this address," answered the king as he took a piece of paper out of his pocket and gave it to Fergus.

"It's not too far away from the castle. I shall make the preparations for your majesty to go there tomorrow morning," said Fergus after he read the address.

"I would like Elissa to come with me," said the king looking at Elissa.

"Of course, your majesty. I'll come, as promised," answered Elissa smiling at the king. She remembered the promise that she had made Alistair almost a year ago, after she had tried to comfort him about Duncan's death at Ostagar.

"I'll come with your majesty too," said Fergus in a cold and almost irritated tone.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

The king and the Cousland siblings had headed for Duncan's birthplace next day in the morning. Alistair didn't have a chance to speak a single word in private with Elissa, because Fergus was always with them, placing himself between his sister and king. Elissa seemed very cold and less talkative in the king's presence and Alistair was sure that Fergus had something to do with that.

After a few hours of riding, they reached Duncan's birthplace, together with the horse-drawn wagon that was carrying the stone-made monument. The king's guards hardly managed to unload the heavy monument in front of the house where Duncan had been born. It was a large grey-colored obelisk with a griffon carved on the top of it, followed by the words:

"_In the honor of Duncan, Grey Warden Commander of Ferelden"_

After the men had finally managed to fix the monument on the ground, the king made a small speech about his former mentor and friend. Elissa and Alistair placed flower baskets near the monument and Fergus promised the king that he would take care that fresh flowers would be placed weekly near the memorial.

After the speech, the Couslands had showed the king their home lands around and they had spent the whole day traveling through Highever. They had returned at the castle in the evening and, after a nice warm dinner, each of them retired to their own room to rest.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Alistair woke up in the middle of the night all sweated. He just had an other dream about him and Elissa having hot sex. He tried to remember where he was and what had happened yesterday. The memories of Duncan's memorial came back to him after a few seconds. He felt hungry, so he decided to go to the castle kitchen to eat some cheese. As he opened the room's door, he was startled by one of this guards.

"Your majesty..." said the knight as he bowed to the king.

"Paul, do you know the way to the kitchen?"

"Well… maybe… I'm not sure… I can call a servant to show us the way, your highness!" said the man, babbling.

"Do so, Paul," ordered the king.

After a few minutes, Alistair was guided to the kitchen by one of the castle's servants, followed by two of his guards. He was surprised to find Elissa in the kitchen, sitting at the table. He made a sign to his guards to wait for him outside and entered the kitchen.

"Elissa..."

"Your highness..."

"Could you please stop this 'your highness' thing, Elissa? We're friends, please call me Alistair again ..."

"Alright, Alistair. Would you like a glass of milk?" she said smiling to him.

"Actually I was looking for some cheese… but I think I'll have some milk too, thanks."

"Here, let me help you." she said and quickly brought a plate full of all kinds of cheese from the larder.

"Hmm, thanks. So how come you're not sleeping?" said Alistair as he grabbed a piece of cheese.

"Well, I had a nightmare, " said Elissa, thinking about the hot and naughty '_nightmare_' she had just woke up some minutes ago.

"Yeah… me too," said Alistair, eating another piece of cheese.

"Here, have some milk and cookies!" she said as she handed him a glass of milk and a plate of cookies.

"Hmm, cookies! Sorry but I'll pass, I'm a cheese guy! I remember one scary quanari giant who would do anything for a cookie!"

"Yeah, do you remember that time when he took a boy's cookies in that village?" she said after she bit from a chocolate cookie.

"And he claimed that he was saving the boy from getting over-weighted!" answered Alistair, laughing.

They both started to shout with laughter remembering Sten's obsession for cookies.

"You've got a bit of chocolate on your left cheek… Let me help you... " said Alistair smiling and getting closer to Elissa. He placed his hand on her left cheek. He looked into her eyes for a moment and lost himself in them. He loved her green eyes so much and he missed them terribly! Then he saw her biting her lip and he got closer, his lips searching hers, the need to kiss her overwhelming him.

A heavy coughing startled them both and made them look at the kitchen's door. It was Elissa's brother, Fergus with an angry look on his face.

"Your majesty… Elissa..." said Fergus trying hard to hold back his anger.

"Fergus..." said Elissa as she jumped from her chair, looking scared, like a child that had done something wrong.

"Elissa, I would like to have a word with his majesty… alone, please," said Fergus, looking angry at Elissa.

"Fergus… you've promised me..." said Elissa, worriedly.

"And I'll keep my promise, sister. I just want to have a word in private with his Majesty, Elissa! " answered Fergus.

"As you wish, brother," said Elissa and she got out of the kitchen quickly.

Alistair looked worriedly at Elissa's angry brother as he was heading his way. _'Here it comes! One angry brother's punch coming up now!' _thought the king.

"Your majesty, I want to talk about Elissa," said Fergus as he took a seat next to the king.

"Please Fergus, call me Alistair," answered the king looking right into Fergus's eyes.

"Alright, Alistair. First I want to thank you for saving my sister by doing that ritual… thing. She told me everything, even the Grey Warden secrets. You must understand, Alistair, that she's all I've got in this world and I'm grateful to the Maker that she's still alive. I would have been completely broken if she would have died too..." said Fergus, as he calmed down and lowered his voice in a sad tone.

"I understand that, Fergus," said the king.

"But I also know about the way you two broke up, about the heir issue and I must ask you Alistair to stay away from her, please. I will not let you break her heart again, Alistair! Not if I'm still alive! I know that you cannot marry her, so please let her go. You must do your duty as a king and marry a noble woman that can give you an heir, so let Elissa heal herself and maybe, in time, be happy with someone else..." said Fergus in a calm but very serious voice.

The king nodded, turning his eyes to the floor.

"I want your word, Alistair," continued Fergus.

"You have my word, Fergus," said the king looking back at Fergus.

"Good. That's all I had to say. Good night, Alistair!" said Fergus and then he left the sad king alone in the kitchen, tormenting himself with his thoughts.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

The king got ready to leave the Cousland castle next day, early in the morning. The Couslands were already expecting him in the yard, at the moment he got out of the estate.

"Fergus, Elissa, thank you so much for your hospitality!" said the king looking at the Cousland siblings.

"Anytime, your majesty!" answered Fergus as he bowed to the king.

"There is one more thing I need to do," said the king and gave Elissa a royal sealed piece of paper. "Elissa Cousland, I hereby assign you as the new Warden Commander of Ferelden. Will you accept this job?" said the king in a cold voice.

Elissa read the paper from the king and answered with full determination in her voice. "I accept!"

"Elissa, are you sure about this, sister?" said Fergus, concerned.

"Fergus, I'm still a Grey Warden, I need to do my duty," she said looking her brother in the eyes.

"Good. I shall send a knight to escort you to Vigil's Keep, two weeks from now, Commander." said the king.

"Of course, your majesty," answered Elissa and bowed to the king.

"Goodbye Fergus and Elissa!" said the king as he mounted his horse.

"Save journey, your Majesty," said Fergus, as the king was leaving the castle's yard.

On the way back to Denerim, the king had thought about Fergus's words over and over, until he reached an important decision: he would tell Eamon to start organizing that damn ball as soon as possible. Fergus was right, kings cannot run away from their duties.


	7. The Burden of Duty

_Many thanks to all of you who wrote reviews and to all who subscribed to my story. _

**Chapter 7 : The Burden of Duty**

"_The worst way to miss someone is to be sitting right beside them knowing you can't have them." ~ Unknown author_

The king's party was slowly approaching Vigil's Keep, the Grey Wardens fortress. It had rained a lot and the mud made walking difficult. After the Blight had ended, the new king had assigned the arling of Amaranthine, once belonging to Rendon Howe, to the Grey Wardens, so they could rebuilt their Order there. Elissa Cousland, the new appointed Warden Commander of Ferelden, had already been sent to the keep a few days ago, escorted by a king's female warrior named Mhairi. The king was on his way to the Bannorn and decided to make a small stop at Vigil's Keep, to greet the new Wardens, since the keep was not far away.

In the last six months since the Blight was ended, the darkspawn had retreated after the Archdemon's death, but they hadn't all disappeared underground as expected, instead some strange and somehow unrelated attacks had happen. The king was confident that the newly assigned Warden Commander, Elissa Cousland - his friend and former lover - would manage to successfully investigate and stop those darkspawn attacks once and for all. She was cunning, a great warrior and one of the last two Grey Wardens of Ferelden. She was the Hero of Ferelden. The other Wardens - those that had arrived from Orlais - had been treated with suspicion by the Ferelden nobles, since the memory of the war with Orlais was still fresh in their minds. The king thought that it would be a wise decision to appoint Elissa Cousland, a Ferelden citizen as the new Warden Commander of Ferelden.

It had been nearly a month since Alistair had visited Highever and many things had happened since he last saw Elissa. Eamon - his adviser and chancellor - had organized a fancy ball in Denerim and had invited all the single young noble women of Ferelden to attend it. Well, almost all… except for Elissa, of course. The event had proven to be a painful and embarrassing experience for the new king and Alistair was thinking how much he started to hate Eamon for that idea. The king had felt like a 'noble-blood horse' at that awful ball, surrounded by all those power hungry women fighting each other to get his attention and make one of them his queen. Of course they were all beautiful in their own ways, but none of them loved him, none of them had that beautiful green eyes Elissa had. On top of that, the old arl even had the nerve to suggest Alistair to marry Anora, the former Queen and his half brother's widow! _'Listen to me, Alistair! Marry Anora! Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer, Alistair!' _had the old arl said . The nerve of that man! The king had sparred Anora from execution, hoping that she hadn't been involved in her father's crimes, giving her a second chance. After a month in the tower, the former Queen had finally decided to swear oath to the new king and Alistair had given her back her father's lands and titles, ignoring Eamon's protests. _'She is a dangerous enemy, Alistair! You should execute her!' _had the arl told him after the king had released Anora. The king started to hate Eamon more and made a mental note to threat him with execution next time he would dare to suggest again that he should marry Anora. That would definitely shut the old arl's mouth up!

As the party was getting closer to the keep, the king suddenly felt that something was terribly wrong. He had a bad feeling, something like a deep pain in his heart.

_'Where are the guards? Where are the Wardens? Where is Elissa?'_ he thought as he was approaching the keep's gates.

Then, he saw some dead bodies and ran to see who they were. '_Darkspawn!_ _Maker! There has been __a fight here!' _he thought, getting worried.

"Prepare for battle!" ordered the king to his men as he drew his sword.

The king tried to focus and see if he could sense any darkspawn or Wardens, but all what his Warden skills were able to sense was a weak tainted signal. It was a just one Warden, a badly wounded one.

'_Elissa!_'

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

The king found the Warden Commander inside the keep; she was being healed by a blond mage with a ponytail. The mage turned out to be an escaped apostate, possibly guilty of the assassination of a few templars. Elissa could barely speak, as she was badly wounded, but she somehow managed to describe the situation to the king in a few words and, surprisingly, she conscripted the apostate into the Grey Wardens, before she fainted from blood loss.

Varel, the Vigil's Keep seneschal, was alive; he had been saved by the Warden Commander. He told the king more details about what had just happened there. It seemed that the keep had been attacked by a group of darkspawn led by a very cunning darkspawn commander, a darkspawn that could also talk like a human.

The Warden Commander, followed by Mhairi, had arrived just in time to save a few of the keep's solders and staff, and the seneschal, of course. She had also been helped by the blond apostate and Oghren, the dwarf that she had just happened to find inside the keep. Elissa had been badly wounded when she had saved the apostate mage from nearly being killed by the darkspawn commander.

Oghren explained his presence at Vigil's Keep to the king, telling him that he was there to become a Grey Warden too.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

The king was staring at the unconscious Elissa as she was being healed by the new recruited mage. She had been laid on a big bed, in one of the keep's guest rooms.

'_Maker… she's badly wounded. It's my fault! I shouldn't have appointed __**her**__ as Warden Commander!_' thought the king.

"How is she, mage?" asked the king worriedly, looking at the mage in front of him.

_'She just saved my life… ,' _thought the blond mage.

"I've stopped the bleeding, but she has lost a lot of blood…, " answered the mage.

_'Maker… please Maker, don't let her die!' _thought the king.

"Can't you help her somehow? Heal her or give her a potion... or something, mage?" asked the king with despair in his voice.

_'Yeah… if only I knew a spell that regenerates lost blood… Although there is this potion that I could make… Of course! … It could help her body regenerate blood faster!' _thought the mage.

"Of course I'll help her, I'm a healer, your majesty," answered the mage.

'_He's a healer, not as good as Wynne was, but better than nothing,_' thought the king looking at the mage.

"What's your name, mage?"asked the king.

'_Wow, now the good King wants to know __**my**_ _**name**__!__ Why? 'Mage' is not good enough for him anymore?_'

"Anders, your Majesty." answered the mage.

"Your Majesty, we need to leave soon… we have to get to Bannorn while it's still daytime; the roads are very dangerous at night," said the captain of the guards to the king.

The king nodded and looked again at Anders. '_I wish I could remain here until she's awake, I wish I could hold her in my arms, kiss her... stay by her side!_' thought the king.

"Anders, I want you to promise me something," said the king.

'_Now, try to be nice, Anders!_' thought the mage.

"Of course, your highness." answered Anders.

'_I wish I could take your place and be near her again everyday, Anders,' _were the king's thoughts.

"Please take care of Elissa… I mean the Commander for me, Anders," said the king, with sadness in his voice.

'_He loves her,_' thought Anders.

"I could do no less, my king. I owe the Commander my life," said the mage, reading the sadness from the king's eyes.

_'I'm so sorry Elissa, but I have to go! Maker watch over you, Elissa!' _thought the king.

"Good. Let's go men!" said the king.

Then, Alistair walked out of the Vigil's Keep's room, followed by his guards, but leaving his heavy heart behind.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Elissa woke up feeling very weak. She looked around, tying to remember where she was and what had just happened. She tried hard to remember, but she didn't recognize the room. She saw a blond mage with a ponytail, seated on a char near her.

"I've always wanted to save a beautiful lady in danger… I never thought it will be the other way round… _me_ being saved by a lovely lady warrior… Thank you for saving my life out there, Commander!" said Anders, smiling at Elissa.

"Well… you've saved my life also, I would have been death now if you weren't there to heal me… I think… we're even now," said Elissa in a weak voice.

"Maybe we should keep a score from now on, who saves who..." said the mage.

"Yeah, but I hope it won't happen too often," answered Elissa, trying get up.

"Don't try to get up, you're too weak! I have a potion here that will help your body regenerate the lost blood," said Anders as he gave Elissa a flask with a green liquid.

"Blah…. disgusting," said Elissa, after she drank the potion.

"Yeah, I know what you mean! I've always wanted to bake cookies from the ingredients… instead of preparing potions… do you think that would work?"

"Hm, cookies instead of potions… sounds good," said Elissa, laughing.

"I should definitely try it! Would you like be my first test subject?" joked Anders.

"As long as they taste better than these potions...why not? Just don't poison me..." answered Elissa, smiling.

"Hey! I'm a mage, not a rogue. I don't '_do'_ poisons! You wounded me, my dear lady!" said Anders, offended.

"I think the darkspawn would look very surprised if we would stop in the middle of the fight to eat a cookie!" said Elissa, smiling

"Imagine this conversation in the middle of the battle : _Are you wounded, Commander? Here, grab a health cookie!_" said Anders, laughing.

"We would definitely have the element of surprise on our side!" said Elissa, laughing.

"Just try to imagine the look on the darkspawns' ugly faces... _priceless_!" joked Anders again.

They both laughed for a few seconds.

"So, Commander, you're a… _templar_?" said Anders, emphasizing the last word.

"No, I'm not a templar… I learned a few templar tricks from… a friend, some time ago," said Elissa.

"But if you know templar tricks, that means you _are_ a templar!"

"Well… maybe… except for the lyrium addiction part… Why do you ask? Don't you like me anymore now that you know that I am a _templar_?" said Elissa sadly.

"Nooo, I didn't mean it to sound like that, my dear lady! Actually, _you_ are the first templar I like!" said Anders, smiling.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Elissa recovered all her strength in a few days, thanks to Anders healing. Varel had prepared the Joining ritual so that Mhairi, Oghren and Anders would join the Grey Wardens ranks. Anders and Oghren survived the joining. Mhairi did not. She died, killed by the taint. Elissa was very upset about Mhairi's death, but she could do nothing about it. She had a lot of work to do there, at Vigil's Keep, as the newly appointed Warden Commander and also as the new arlessa of Amaranthine. She had to find out what the reason for those strange and more cunning darwspawn attacks was and also to rule the arling of Amaranthine. It looked like an interesting job and Elissa Cousland was happily looking forward to do it. She would make the best of it! She somehow had missed the whole darkspawn killing thing! It was nice to be in command again!

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

There was a knock on the door. The man got up from the desk he was seated and went to open it.

" Wwwhat are yyyyou doing hhhhere ?" asked the man, babbling and looking surprised at the woman in front of him.

The woman was wearing an elegant red velvet dress, with delicate golden flower embroidery and a golden bodice, which was a little too tight, emphasizing her beautiful breasts.

"Can I come in?" she asked smiling.

"Suuure, coome in," said the man staring at the beautiful woman in front of him.

The woman entered the room, swaying her hips slowly in a very seductively way, making the man stare at her again and get enraptured by her moves.

"Here, have a seat," said the man, pointing to a char nearby. She sat on the char gently, moving like a feline. She crossed her legs slowly, making sure the man had a good look at her beautiful legs. The man sighed and then sat on a chair near the woman.

"Whhhat caaan I do for you, my lady?" managed the man to say hardly, still enraptured by her.

She smiled seductively, then got up slowly from the char, bent to the man's ear and...

"Make love to me," she whispered, while she was licking his ear lobe slowly.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

_**A/N: **So, can you guess who the man and the woman from the last scene are?_


	8. A Friend in Need

_Many thanks to all of you who wrote reviews and to all who subscribed to my story. _

**Chapter 8 : A Friend in Need**

"_A friend is someone who can see the truth and pain in you even when you are fooling everyone else." ~ Unknown author_

"_Get away from me, demon!" screamed the man as he pushed the woman away and jumped from the chair._

"_What's the matter? I know you want me… why do you reject me? Or maybe you like it a little rough… tell me how you like it," said the woman, smiling as she slowly got up from the floor. _

_Her eyes turned from green to red._

"_You're not **her**, demon! Just a cheap copy of her!" _

"_Yet I almost fooled you, mage!" said the woman, laughing._

"_You did not!" screamed the mage._

"_Oh, yeah? I almost got you, mage!" said the demon, laughing._

"_You're the nastiest desire demon I've ever met!"_

"_Well... that's because I'm part of you, mage! I feed on your desire for **her**! Come, mage… let's make love! I can give you unbelievable passion… just let me help you relax…", said the woman, seductively._

"_NO!" screamed the mage._

_The demon-woman started to shout with laughter, while it was turning into its demon form._

"_She will never love **you** the way you love her, mage! She'll never stop loving **him**! You know this, mage! Their destinies are tied together… you should not interfere! But **I**, on the other hand, I can give you any pleasure you want… I can be **her**…_ _I can scream your name in **her** voice, while we make love passionately! I can be anything you want me to be: shy, naughty, good, bad… **anything**. Think about it, mage!"_

"_Hmm… tempting, but there is this tiny problem: you're a DAMNED **demon**!" screamed the mage and started to cast a fireball spell._

"_I do not want to fight you, mage! Well… not yet… we shall meet again, my sweet mage!" said the demon and disappeared before the mage finished the fireball spell._

"Damn these demons and their naughty ways to disturb a man's good night sleep! This one almost got me! Naughty little desire demon!" said Anders, waking up from the dream. Sir Pounce-a-lot, his cat, immediately jumped in its master's lap.

"Hi there, little friend! I guess cats don't get desire demons visits in their dreams, do they? Lucky you!" said Anders as he patted the cat. "Hungry little one?"

"Meow," said the cat, looking into his eyes.

"I guess that's a 'yes'; let's go to the kitchen together, shall we?" said Anders, getting down from the bed and putting the cat gently on the floor. He dressed himself quickly and left the room followed by Sir Pounce-a-lot.

After a few minutes, Anders entered the Vigil's Keep kitchen and was greeted by his fellow Wardens that were already having breakfast.

"Morning, Anders. Did you sleep well?" asked Elissa.

"Excellent, Commander," said Anders as he was pouring some milk on a bowl for Sir Pounce-a-lot. "Here you go little one!" he said as he placed the bowl full of milk on the floor next to the cat.

"So, Anders. I'm going to Amaranthine for some shopping today, would you care to join me?" asked Elissa.

"Well… maybe not today, but I have a list of things I need in order to make some potions," said Anders, avoiding the Commander's eyes.

"Why? You've always loved shopping..." said Elissa, surprised.

"Well… I'm just not in the mood today," answered Anders.

"Little mage is a bit grumpy today. Here, have some ale! It will cheer you up! " said Oghren.

"Thanks, Oghren, but I'll pass. It's a little to early for that," said Anders as he grabbed some bread.

"Something is eating you up, my friend. What's wrong?" said Elissa worriedly.

"Nothing's wrong," said the mage, getting very serious. _'Well… except for that cheap copy of yours desire demon, Commander,' _thought Anders.

"As you wish, then. I'll take Nate and Sigrun with me. Just don't play with Oghren's brew and don't light the keep on fire, please! We've just redecorated after that darkspawn siege!"

"I'll try, Commander. But it's so tempting..." said Anders, smiling.

"Ah... just be good the two of you! And leave Velanna alone or she'll light both you and the keep on fire if she gets mad!"

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

In the last six months since Elissa Cousland had been the Commander of the Grey, she and Anders had become very good friends, always fighting together, watching each others backs, keeping score who had saved who and making a very good team together. Things had just started to calm down after Elissa had successfully eliminated the darkspawn thread by killing both the Mother and the Architect and saving the city of Amaranthine. She had made new friends on her new quests: Nathaniel Howe, the son of Rendon Howe, Sigrun, a dwarf rogue warrior and Velanna, a dalish elven mage.

Fergus had been very mad on Elissa after he had found out that she had made Nathaniel Howe, the son of the man that had killed their parents nearly an year and a half ago, a Warden. But his mind had been completely changed when Nathaniel had saved his life after the darkspawn siege on the city of Amaranthine. Now Fergus and Nathaniel were very good friends.

Sigrun, a former member of the Legion of the Death, had joined them after they had killed the broodmothers from the Kal'Hirol dwarven fortress. She and Nathaniel had recently become a couple and Elissa was happy for them.

Velanna was a dalish elven mage that the Commander had conscripted after they had escaped the Architect's silverite mine prison. She was a proud dalish elven mage with a bad temper, almost always aggressive, although Elissa had somehow managed to cool her down a little, but the other Wardens didn't like her too much.

There had been another companion, Justice, a warrior spirit from the Fade that had been bound to the dead body of a Grey Warden, but he had perished when the darkspawn had attacked the keep two months ago.

The keep had fully recovered since the darkspawn siege two months ago, its high quality stone walls had successfully stud up during the attack. The dwarf engineer that Elissa had hired to consolidate the keep six months ago, was very proud of his construction.

After Elissa had saved the city of Amaranthine from the darkspawn attack, the city had been rebuilt and prospered, trade had been reestablished, farms had been rebuilt, there was peace once again. The king sent the Commander a letter of gratitude for her achievements, but he did not visit the keep at all in the last six months.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

As the Commander was entering the keep's gates, returning from Amaranthine, she was greeted by a messenger wearing the king's symbols on his clothes.

"I have a letter from the king, my lady," said the man as he gave Elissa a royal sealed scroll.

"Thank you," answered the Commander as she opened the scroll.

The Commander read the scroll and her face turned all white. She entered the keep in a hurry and was greeted by Anders and Oghren.

"Ah, Commander, you're back! Did you get me the ingredients for my potions?" said Anders.

"Here," she said as she gave him a bag, avoiding his eyes.

"And more ale?" said Oghren.

"Nate's got the ale. Now please excuse me, I don't feel well, " she said and ran away.

"Do you need me to heal you, Commander?" said Anders screaming after her.

"NO," she screamed as she entered her room.

"Did I say something wrong?" asked Anders. Oghren just shrugged.

After a few hours, Elissa got out of her room dressed in a simple pair of light trousers and a simple shirt. She went to the kitchen and found Oghren there, drinking as usual.

"Ah, Commander! Come here, have a drink! This new ale you've brought today is excellent!" said Oghren.

"Thanks Oghren, but I shouldn't..."

"Come, Commander, just one round..."

"Alright, but just one..."

After several rounds of ale…

"So, Commander, tell old Oghren what's eating you up..."

"Nothing is eating me up… Oghren..."

"It's him, isn't it? You know what they say: you never really stop loving someone. You just learn to try to live without them."

"Wow, Oghren, that's really wise..."

"Yeah, I've heard it somewhere… thought it would come in handy! Come on, tell me! I'm the only one that really understands you, Commander! I'm still thinking about Branka, you know… I love Felsi, but I never really got over Branka… my first love…"

Elissa sat next to Oghren and drank more ale for almost an hour.

"I shouldn't tell you, Oghren. I'm the Commander, I must be strong." said Elissa, feeling the beer coming up to her head.

"Bullshit, spit it out, Commander!" screamed the drunken dwarf.

"Well… he's getting married!"

"That son of a whore!"

"Well… it was supposed to happen one day or another… I don't know why I still care… I guess it's only normal for him to marry!" said Elissa.

"Yeah… the truth always hurts!" answered Oghren.

"You're wiser than I thought, Oghren." stated Elissa.

"Yeah, it's the ale. He he he… I have resistance… So, I get smarter than you with every ale I drink." joked Oghren.

"Really?" asked Elissa.

"Yeah… but only because you don't have resistance and get stupider with every ale you drink! No offense, Commander!" stated Oghren.

"Great..." whispered Elissa.

"Do you remember that night in the camp when we got drunk after you just broke up with him?" asked Oghren.

"Yeah..." answered Elissa.

"We drank all my special brew then..." said Oghren, sighting deeply.

"Plus some wine..." stated Elissa.

The two Wardens spent another hour drinking more ale.

"So, Commander. You and the mage ..." asked the dwarf suddenly.

"What?" asked Elissa, surprised.

"The mage, Anders..."

"We're just friends, that's all, Oghren."

"Too bad, he's a nice guy."

"He's my best friend, Oghren."

"I think he likes you, Commander." said Oghren, smiling.

"Really?" asked Elissa, raising an eyebrow.

"Old Oghren knows such things." stated Oghren.

"Nooo... we're just friends, Oghren!" stated Elissa.

"As you say, Commander." said Oghren

Sir Ponce-a-lot woke Anders up in the middle of the night, asking for food. Anders dressed quickly and headed for the kitchen, followed by his little friend.

As Anders was entering the kitchen's door, he saw Oghren and the Commander on the floor, both passed out.

"I see Oghren found a drinking partner for tonight! I never thought I'll see the Commander passed out on the floor, after drinking too much ale… Life is full of surprises, Sir Ponce-a-lot!" said the mage as he gave the cat some food.

"Let's bring our fearless leader to her room, shall we?" said the mage and gently took the Commander in his arms.

"Good thing she's not wearing her armor on, Sir Ponce-a-lot," said Anders and left the kitchen carrying the Commander.

Anders brought the Commander to her room and gently laid her on the bed.

'_She's so beautiful!' _he thought as he was wrapping her with a blanket.

'_You know, Anders, this could be your only chance… kiss her, you fool… , _' said a voice from inside his head.

'_No, it wouldn't be fair to take advantage of her unconscious state… I'm not like that…_' he thought as he turned his back to the bed.

'_Well, maybe just one innocent kiss,'_ he thought as he turned back to look at Elissa, bent over her face and gently pressed his lips to her left cheek.

"Let's go, Sir Ponce-a-lot! We've got to find the ingredients for that hangover potion… somebody's going to feel very sick tomorrow morning!" said the mage and left Elissa's room followed by his cat.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Next morning Elissa woke up with an awful hangover and found Anders on a chair in her room, staring at her.

"Bucket?" said Anders as he gave Elissa an empty bucket.

"Yeah, thanks," said Elissa.

Then she immediately threw up in the bucket.

"Drink this," said Anders as he gave Elissa a potion.

"Hangover potion?" she asked.

"Yes, it's save! I've tested it on myself several times… Wait, so this is not your first hangover?"

"Second," she said after she drank the potion.

"I see..."

"Wynne gave me something similar almost an year ago..."

"Let me heal you now," said the mage as he started to cast a healing spell on Elissa.

"Better now?" he said.

"Better, thanks," she answered.

"So, what's wrong, Commander?" asked Anders, in a gentle tone.

"Nothing's wrong! I'm fine!" yelled Elissa.

"Really? I don't remember you drinking like Oghren… it's just not… well it's just not you, Commander," said Anders as he got closer.

"I hate being weak like this!" said Elissa, angrily.

"You're not weak, your the strongest woman I know! Just tell me… I promise I won't judge you."

There was silence for a few moments.

"He's getting married. The king is getting married to an Orlesian noble woman. He wants me to attend the wedding."

There was silence for a few more moments. A painful silence.

"I know it's been nearly a year since we broke up… I knew this will eventually happen… and I'm so stupid… I don't know why it still hurts me so much! Fergus is right, I should move on, I am such a fool!" whispered Elissa.

Anders just stared at the sad Commander, not saying anything.

"I guess that seeing him getting married would finally force me to move on… even if it will be very painful… but I have to do it!" stated Elissa.

"Well… we all have to face our demons, one day or another!" said Anders.

"Anders, can I ask you something?" said Elissa.

"Anything for you, my fearless leader!" said Anders, winking at Elissa.

"Would you come with me… at the wedding?" asked Elissa.

"Only if you let me fry that royal bastard's ass...," said Anders, smiling.

"Then… maybe not..." said Elissa.

"Just kidding… I don't want to be executed… sure I'll come!" said Anders, giggling.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

_**N/A** : Next chapter : King's wedding in Denerim! Elissa and Anders(plus more) are attending it!_


	9. Kings and Queens

_Many thanks to all of you who wrote reviews and to all who subscribed to my story. _

**Chapter 9: Kings and Queens**

„_Those who are faithful know only the trivial side of love; it is the faithless who know love's tragedies." ~ Oscar Wilde, 'The Picture of Dorian Gray'_

Alistair looked into the big mirror in front of him. He was wearing a very luxurious Orlesian style golden tunic with delicate embroidered brown crowns and a pair of brown silk trousers. It was his wedding day. Yes, hard to believe, but correct! It was _his_ wedding day with Pauline, the Orlesian noble woman he had met six months ago, when he had been in Orlais to discuss with the Empress. Things had been very tense between Ferelden and Orlais since Loghain had been regent and had sent some very undiplomatic letters to the Empress, annoying her so much that she had almost declared war to Ferelden. So, the new king had to fix things up between the two nations. And it hadn't been an easy task to do. He had spent one whole month in Orlais, trying to calm down the Empress. It ended up with a compromise, of course. In order to improve the diplomatic relations between the two countries, the Ferelden's king had to marry an Orlesian noble woman. His happiness be damned! Kings don't have the luxury to marry for love! So he had to attend several damned fancy balls in Orlais, dance and talk with all the single young noble women from Orlais, while learning Orlesian, of course. He had been somehow lucky to find Pauline, the daughter of a very rich tradesman noble. She was related to the Empress, her second grade cousin - or something like that - and so their engagement had made the Empress very happy. Anyway, Pauline was a very beautiful woman and she reminded him of _her_. Of Elissa, his lost love. But she did not have Elissa's beautiful green eyes that he missed so much. She was not Elissa. He knew that. Pauline just looked a little like _her_.

After he had returned from Orlais - already engaged - he didn't have the heart to face Elissa at Vigil's Keep again, so he buried himself in work all day and all night, as usual. Yet he had been very proud of Elissa, for her new victories as the new Warden Commander for the last six months, but also very worried for her life. He had felt so guilty that day when he had found her almost dead at Vigil's Keep! He had read all her reports, but had only sent a congratulation letter for her achievements.

Eamon had sent her an invitation to the wedding. She didn't deserve that, she deserved better, he knew it, but he hadn't had the courage to face her, to tell her himself that he was engaged. And she had to come to the wedding, it was her duty both as a noble and as the Warden Commander. She had to attend his wedding. Yes, it was very cruel of him to invite _her_ to his wedding! He hated himself so much for that!

He never imagined that his wedding day would be such a burden! He always dreamed that it would be a happy day, that he would marry the woman he loved… It should have been the best day of his life! He should have been extremely happy about the following event, about the ceremony… instead he was feeling absolutely miserable. He was about to swear his vows of love for a woman he did not love! Damn that stupid duty! Damn that arranged wedding! He wanted so much to leave, ask Elissa for forgiveness and run away together. But he couldn't do it. He was the king, he had a responsibility to his people, to his country. That was not just a simple royal wedding, it was an alliance with Orlais, a peace treaty signed with his own blood, with his own happiness. So he looked again in the mirror and nodded.

'_I have to do this; it's for Ferelden. I am the king. Forgive me, Elissa!_'

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

The Denerim palace's Landsmeet chamber had been beautifully decorated in Orlesian style, with expensive silks and fresh flowers. The Empress of Orlais had sent her personal decorator to help organizing the wedding. Both Ferelden and Orlesian nobles were standing in front of the king's throne, aligned in two parallel rows, one on the left of the room, the other on the right, leaving an empty row between them. As soon as the minstrels started to sing, the chamber's doors opened and the bride entered, arm in arm with her father.

The future queen was wearing a superb white silk dress, with golden embroidery on her neck, shoulders and arms and a delicate golden belt around the waist. All nobles bowed as the father and daughter slowly walked on the empty row between them. The king and the Grand Cleric of Ferelden were waiting on the small pedestrian in front of the throne. As soon as the future queen and her father arrived on the small pedestrian, the music stopped.

Elissa's heart froze at the sight of the beautiful Orlesian noble woman.

'_She is so beautiful! The ceremony is about to begin! Maker, please give me strength!_' thought Elissa as she leaned against Fergus.

"It's going to be alright, Eli!" whispered Fergus, feeling that his little sister was restless.

Elissa looked then at Anders, who was standing on her left side. He was staring at the beautiful bride.

'_Well, it looks like somebody found a very cheap copy of the Commander! Even that desire demon looked better than this one here!'_ thought Anders.

After the Grand Cleric finished the wedding speech, the king and queen swore their vows to each other, kissed quickly and waved at the nobles. Everybody started to cheer for the new married couple.

'_It is over_', thought Elissa as she opened her eyes.

She looked at the king for a moment and couldn't control her tormenting thoughts. '_He's so handsome! Damn it, Elissa! He's a married man now! Stop it!_' she thought as she squeezed Fergus arm.

"It's over, Eli! There is no turning back now!" whispered Fergus.

Fergus was right, she knew that, but her heart was too stubborn to accept it.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

The wedding celebration started right after the ceremony and was taking place in the palace's enormous ball room. The room was composed of two areas: on the left there were many tables full of food and drinks and on the right there was a huge dancing floor. The servants guided each noble to their seats at the tables, according to the already preset table plans. Everything was very organized and beautifully decorated. The food and drinks were both Ferelden and Orlesian and everybody was enjoying the celebration.

Elissa was seated near Fergus and Anders, wearing a dark green dress with white, almost transparent embroidery around her neck and shoulders and golden embroidery on her arms and waist. The dress was very tight around the waist, emphasizing her beautiful curly body.

Elissa was trying hard to enjoy the celebration, chatting from time to time with Fergus and Anders. Suddenly, she got startled by somebody who screamed her name from behind . She turned her head and saw Leliana coming her way.

"Leliana! You're back from Orlais!"said Elissa.

"Elissa! It's so nice to see you again, my friend!" answered Leliana.

The two women hugged each other, then Leliana sat at their table, next to Elissa. Fergus and Anders excused themselves and left the two women to chat alone for a while. Leliana had just got back from Orlais and she told Elissa about her last adventures since her departure from Ferelden.

"So, you and that sexy blond mage..." said Leliana, suddenly, with a smile on her face.

Elissa smiled. "We're just friends, Leliana."

"Are you sure about it? Just friends?" asked Leliana, winking at Elissa.

Elissa nodded. "Yeah, pretty sure. I learned my lesson, I won't fall for another one of my friends. Not again!"

Leliana smiled and winked again at Elissa. "So you don't mind if I... '_interfere_'?"

"No, really, you two have my blessing!" said Elissa.

Their conversation was interrupted by a handsome man who was standing in front of them.

"My lady Elissa, would you make me the honor to dance with me?" said Teagan, as he bowed to the ladies.

Elissa looked at Teagan and nodded. "Of course, Teagan. We'll talk later, Leli," said Elissa, as she got up from the table.

Leliana smiled at Elissa and nodded.

As Anders took a seat next to Leliana; he looked at Elissa, while she was dancing with Teagan on the dance floor.

'_Well, Teagan, isn't your left hand a little too low on the Commander's back? Naughty, naughty Teagan!' _thought Anders_. _

The king and the queen were seated at a special table in front of the nobles. Alistair was having a difficult time understanding his wife's Orlesian words, since his Orlesian was terrible, when he just saw Elissa and Teagan on the dance floor.

'_Is that Teagan dancing with Elissa? Maker, he's holding her so close to him! His left hand is a little too low… Did I see it right? Did he just almost touch her... 'high quarters'? Damn you Teagan! I hate you so much now!' _thought the king to himself as he watched Teagan dancing with Elissa.

Alistair was staring so insistently at the dancing couple, that he didn't notice when Isolde whispered something in Pauline's ear, while she was pointing discreetly at Elissa.

Fergus was just about to return to his sitting place at the table, after he had just greeted some old friends, when a blond beautiful woman called his name.

"Fergus Cousland!"

"Your maj-… lady Anora," said Fergus bowing to the former queen and realizing his mistake.

She was wearing a beautiful elegant blue dress, which matched her blue eyes, and a golden bodice around her tiny waist.

"Well, not 'majesty' any more, Fergus," said Anora as she raised a brow and tried hard to hide away her anger and her real thoughts. _'Not 'majesty' anymore, thanks to your damned sister, Fergus!'_

Fergus tried to smile, unsure of how to proceed next, but Anora was bold and she continued.

"I'm so happy that you're alive, Fergus! What happened to your family was so… unfortunate! You have my deepest condolences!" said Anora; then she bashed her long eyebrows.

"Thank you, lady Anora," said Fergus, trying to find a plan to escape the former queen.

"I must assure you that I had nothing to do with Howe's conspiracy, " said Anora bashing her eyebrows again.

"I can hardly believe that you did not have the power to punish Howe yourself, my lady," said Fergus, getting annoyed.

"I swear to you Fergus that I had nothing to do with it! My father trusted Howe and now… now he's dead," said Anora, trying hard to control her temper.

A tear just fell from her left eye. '_That bastard prince killed my father in front of me!_' thought the former queen.

Fergus sighed. "I wish I could believe you, my lady!"

Anora wiped away another tear.

"I didn't want to trouble you with old and painful memories, my lady! I apologize!" said Fergus as he tried to comfort Anora.

"Let's not talk about it anymore, shall we? Tell me, Fergus what's your opinion on the new king?" asked Anora getting all serious.

"He seems fair and just. This alliance with Orlais was a wise move, he avoided a war and reestablished trade routes with our neighbors," said Fergus.

"Yes, wise indeed," said Anora, frowning. '_Must be that old fox Eamon's doing!_' she thought to herself.

"Not to mention that he had successfully defeated a Blight! " continued Fergus.

"I have a wonder, Fergus. One year ago, at the Landsmeet, the Warden… I mean your sister... supported Alistair as king and I was so sure she would also say that she would rule by his side. But she did not. Why?"

"She never wanted power," said Fergus, smiling sadly.

"I understand that, but she and Alistair were… well, very close to each other. I thought he would propose to her after the Landsmeet! I would have never imagined that he would marry someone else than Elissa…," said Anora with a wicked smile on her face.

Fergus blushed. "My lady… this is not the place or the moment to discuss my sister's private life."

"I understand, we shall speak of it no more, Fergus," said Anora, but she thought differently. '_But_ _I shall find out the real reason from you one day or another, Fergus, my dear!_'

Fergus sighed. "Speaking of Elissa… I need to tell her something. I shall go find her! Excuse me, my lady," said Fergus as he bowed to Anora, happy that he had finally found a way to escape her questions.

"Fergus! Wait!" yelled Anora.

"My lady," said Fergus as he turned back to look at Anora.

She got closer to him, smiled seductively and said: "I know that we didn't go off on the right foot right now, but I still want to tell you how much I enjoy your company, Fergus!" She smiled and bashed her eyebrows. "I hope to have the pleasure to discuss with you about more pleasant topics this evening, Fergus."

"Of course, my lady," said Fergus raising an eyebrow.

Anora's seductive smile turned into a wicked grin as Fergus walked away from her. She always liked Fergus, actually he had been her first love and seeing him there had confirmed her that she was still in love with him. She had been promised to Cailan since she had been a little child. She had had no say in the matter! Anora had married Cailan out of duty and so had Cailan. It had been another royal arranged marriage. Kings and queens rarely marry for love! She was happy that she had managed to have a word with Fergus, even if they didn't get off on the right foot, but it was a start. She was free now and she was very sure of one thing: she wanted Fergus. But this was not all that the former queen desired, she also wanted back her power, her throne. The new king had made a terrible mistake! He had spared _her_, a thread to the throne! She and Fergus were next in line to the throne in case something terrible would happen to the king and queen. She hated him, the royal bastard that had stolen her throne and killed her father one year ago!

The former queen started to imagine what might had been if Duncan would had had conscripted Fergus instead of Elissa into the Grey Wardens. She would had seduced Fergus before the Landsmeet and persuaded him to marry her and spear her father. That could had been their wedding, her father would had lived and the bastard prince would had been dead, executed after the Landsmeet!

Anora's eyes turned dark with anger. A plan was already beginning to build in her quick-witted mind. She would fight for her happiness, it would not be an easy task, but Anora always loved a good challenge! She would get what she wanted: Fergus, the throne and the revenge for her father's death. She had just set her mind on these objectives and she would do whatever it would be necessary to achieve them!

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Fergus found Elissa alone on a balcony, far away from the celebration.

"What are you doing here, Eli?" asked Fergus.

Elissa turned to look at him. "I'm hiding away from Teagan."

"Really? Why? Teagan is a really nice guy, Eli." said Fergus.

She sighed. "I know, Fergus. But I'm still not over… you know… over _him_."

"Damn it, Elissa! We're at _his_ damn wedding! Don't you think you should finally move on?" yelled Fergus.

She nodded. "Yes, I know, Fergus. You're right. So, what are _you_ doing here, Fergus?"

He sighed. "Well… I'm hiding from Anora."

"Wow, she's got her mind set on you again, isn't she?" said Elissa.

He sighed again. "Yeah, and she's pretty scary when she wants something."

Elissa smiled at her brother. "She's always liked you, Fergus. She had a crush on you ten years ago, remember that?"

"Yes, I remember. Now she's trying her tricks on me." said Fergus.

"Really?" asked Elissa.

"Yeah, something like: '_Oh, Fergus, I'm so sorry about your family… but you know what, you're a widower now, and so am I! Let's be happy together, Fergus!_'" said Fergus trying to mime Anora bashing her long eyelashes.

Elissa giggled. "Wow… What about Leliana?"

"Well, she's got her mind set on that blond mage friend of yours, Anders."

Elissa got suddenly all serious ."Oh, right. She asked me about him..."

"I thought you two are..." said Fergus.

"Me and Anders? No… we're just friends." said Elissa surprised.

Fergus got very serious. "Too bad… I like him."

She sighed. "Oh, just let me be, Fergus!"

"No I won't! I'll nag you until you get that stupid man that broke your heart one year ago, out of your head, litter sister!" he yelled at Elissa.

"You're impossible!" Elissa yelled back.

"And so are you, sister!"

They both giggled. "I guess it runs in the family, brother!" she said, laughing.

The Cousland siblings returned to the wedding celebration together. Both Teagan and Anora were expecting them, wondering where they had just disappeared.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"


	10. Seduce Me

_Many thanks to all of you who wrote reviews and to all who subscribed to my story._

**Chapter 10: Seduce Me**

"_Anyone can catch your eye, but it takes someone special to catch your heart." - Unknown author_

"You're a very handsome man!" said the woman giggling at the man sitting next to her.

He startled. "Sorry?"

"And you're so sweet too!" she said giggling again.

"Hm… thanks?" he said looking at her in surprise. He took a look on the woman sitting next to him. She was an attractive woman, beautiful eyes, nice lips, gorgeous body… very attractive. He swallowed hard.

She saw him looking at her and bit her lip slowly, then whispered into his ear "Would you like to dance?"

He raised an eyebrow at her, looking a little scared and said "I don't...", but he didn't manage to finish his sentence, because the woman already grabbed his hand and dragged him on the dance floor.

"Let me show you how to move," she said as she started to curl her body very seductively.

The man stared at the beautiful and very flexible woman dancing in front of him.

"Put one hand on my back and the other one in my right hand," she told him, but he didn't hear her because he was too enraptured by her moves.

She smiled and whispered in his ear "I promise I won't bite… well, not unless you want me to...". She giggled, then winked at him, took his left hand and placed it on her back. He shook his head quickly, trying hard not to stare at the woman anymore, then he took her right hand in his other hand.

"See, it's not that difficult to dance!" whispered the woman in his ear.

"Well... yes, it's nice," he said confused, trying to keep a safe distance between their bodies.

She giggled. "You can hold me closer. I've already promised you I won't bite."

"I ddddon't wwwwant toooo ..." he babbled, but she already got closer to him, invading his private space.

"You're very shy," she said smiling.

"You're very bold, my lady," he answered.

She giggled, looked into his eyes and said "I like shy guys."

"Well, my lady, I..." he tried to say something, but then he stopped and just smiled at her.

They danced for a few minutes, until the song ended.

"I want to show you something, come with me," said the woman as she dragged the confused man after her.

"Where are you taking me?" he asked very surprised.

"You'll see soon enough," she answered with a wicked smile on her face.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Anora Mac Tir was angry. She couldn't find Fergus anywhere. '_That_ _man couldn't just vanish, could he?_' she thought, while she was looking for Fergus in the crowd of nobles. The newly appointed teyrna of Gwaren was a beautiful woman and she was aware of that. She also knew a lot of manipulation tricks, some from her father, some from the nobles, it was one of the advantages of being queen for five years. She could do that, she had set her mind on Fergus and she would get him. But first she had to find him, there, at the celebration, but she couldn't see him anywhere. Was he hiding from her? Was he somewhere with another woman? Did some Orlesian whore already seduced him and dragged him somewhere in an empty room? He wouldn't dare! No, he was not like that, she knew it! He was a gentleman! But what if he had changed? Men easily get fooled by a pretty face and a pair of big boobs! She had to find him, she should find him soon, or she might loose him to some whore. Damn, where could that man be hiding?

Fergus was a very handsome man and wealthy too, and next in line to the throne… he was quite a prize for any single noble woman at that celebration. Anora tried hard to calm down and focus for a moment.

'_He's not here! He's not in this room! Calm down, Anora! Maybe he got out on a balcony somewhere to have some fresh air? But what if he's not alone! Damn it, Fergus! Where in the Maker's name are you?_' thought the former queen as she decided to leave the ball room in search for Fergus. As soon as she left the ball room, she saw some shadows on the hallway. She didn't see them well, but they seemed to be a pair: a woman dragging a man after her.

'_Can't be! Maker, please!_' she thought as she tried to follow the pair.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

The woman dragged the man in one of the palace's empty rooms and closed the door behind them.

"What are we doing here?" asked the man confused.

"Relax, it's going to be fun," said the woman smiling seductively.

She guided him to an empty char "Sit down," she ordered him.

He obeyed her and sat down slowly on the chair, just staring at the woman in front of him.

The woman slowly pulled off her delicate silk red dress, revealing her beautiful breasts.

The man opened his eyes wide, then he pinched himself pretty hard.

'_It's not a dream,_' he thought.

"I'm sorry. I can't do this! It's all a big misunderstanding! Look, you're beautiful, very sexy, and I'm such a fool to refuse you… this... but I really can't do it!" said the man as he jumped from the chair.

"But your body wants me… I can see it in your eyes… Just relax, let us have some fun together," said the woman and tried to kiss him.

"NO! I'm sorry," he said avoiding her lips.

"You're madly in love with her! " said the woman, getting serious.

"I'm sorry, what are you talking about?" he asked.

"Don't try to fool me, Anders! I saw the way you look at her! You love her, you need to tell her!" said the woman, while she was getting dressed.

"Listen, I'm sorry for turning you down like this. I know I'm such an idiot to refuse such a beautiful woman like yourself… I must leave now," said the man as he headed for the room's door.

"I was just testing you, using my advanced bard seductive techniques..." said the woman smiling.

"You … you're a bard? You've been testing me?" asked Anders, surprised.

"Yes, I wanted to see if you would fall into my little trap. Congratulations, you've just passed the test!" said Leliana, smiling.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked.

"I wanted to see if you're a good man, Anders. She's my friend, I want her to be happy. As I've already said: you need to tell her that you love her," continued Leliana.

"I … I can't. She's in-loved with somebody else!" yelled Anders.

"Her heart is broken, but it can be fixed and I've heard that you are a very good healer, Anders. Heal her heart, make her happy!" said Leliana.

"It doesn't work like that, you know! I only wish that there would be a spell or a potion that could heal a broken heart."

"Just be there for her when she will feel ready to move on."

"I'm a mage, I'm not worthy of her. I can't give her anything. Maybe she would be happier with another noble… with Teagan, perhaps." said Anders in a sad voice.

"Don't say that! You're a very nice person, Anders! I think you are what she needs right now!" stated Leliana.

He sighed. "I'm her best friend, that's all she thinks about me! I don't want to ruin our friendship, I'd better remain just her friend."

"I don't thing you'll be happy just as her friend, Anders. I've seen the jealousy in your eyes when she was dancing with Teagan," said Leliana.

"And how should I tell her? When would it be the right moment? Maybe between two battles? Something like: '_Let me heal you, Commander. By the way, I'm madly in love with you!_' She's my Commander! Things could get pretty ugly if it doesn't work out between us," yelled Anders.

"You will find a moment, someday! You're afraid she will refuse you. Maybe she will, or maybe not, but she needs to know," said Leliana.

Anders sighed. "I'll think about it."

Leliana opened the door and said "Good. Now let's go back to the celebration."

As they were about the exit the room, they saw a blond woman with beautiful blue eyes crying outside, in front of the door. She startled when she saw them, then wiped out her tears and smiled sadly

"I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else. I apologize!" said the woman.

"Lady Anora, can I help you?" said Leliana, concerned for the woman in front of her.

"No, but thank you for your concern," said Anora as she calmed down and smiled."I'm fine now, I've just mistaken you for someone else."

"As you wish, my lady," said Leliana and left the room followed by Anders.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

As Elissa and Fergus entered the ceremony's room arm in arm, they were greeted by Anora, Teagan, Leliana and Anders who seemed to be expecting them. Anora's face lighted suddenly at the sight of the two siblings and she smiled relieved. She then ran to Fergus and Elissa and said "Fergus Cousland, where have you been hiding?"

Fergus looked desperately at Elissa, who was hardly holding back her giggles, and whispered into her ear: "Help me, Eli! She's going to eat me alive now!", then he looked surprised at Anora and said "Lady Anora, I was just outside for a few moments, to have a word with my sister."

Teagan got closer to the siblings, bowed and asked "Lady Cousland, may I have the honor of this dance?"

Elissa looked at her brother, smiled and answered: "Actually Teagan, I've promised this dance to my brother, but maybe the next one?"

"Of course, my lady," said Teagan and then he bowed to Anora "Lady Anora, may I have the honor of this dance?"

"Of course, Teagan," answered Anora then looked at Fergus, bashed her long eyelashes and said: "But I hope we will switch partners next dance."

Fergus sighed. "Maker, this woman never gives up!" whispered Fergus in Elissa's ear.

Elissa tried hard to control her giggles.

As Elissa was following Fergus on the dance floor, she saw a very blushed Anders hiding in a corner.

'_What's wrong with Anders? Maker, did Leliana had something to do with this?_' thought Elissa to herself.

"Anders seems a little blusher than usual," said Fergus as he noticed his sister gazing at Anders.

Elissa nodded. "Something happened. I think it's Leliana's doing."

Fergus looked at his sister and said "Well, she was all over him last time I've seen them; they were dancing pretty close to each other when I left to search for you!"

Elissa felt dizzy and a new feeling overwhelmed her: jealousy. '_No, this is not right. He's just my __friend!_' she thought trying to control herself.

As soon as the song ended, Elissa and Fergus switched partners with Teagan and Anora. After a few more dances with Teagan, Elissa sat at the table near Leliana. She took a deep breath and asked:"So, Leliana. You and Anders?"

Leliana looked at Elissa, smiled and said "Nothing happened, Elissa."

"Really?" asked Elissa.

"He's a good guy. Just give him a chance, Elissa!" said Leliana.

Elissa flinched. "How do you know? Don't tell me you've tried your bard tricks on him, Leliana!"

Leliana nodded and smiled "The very best of them, but it didn't work."

Elissa sighed. "Why did you do it?"

Leliana smiled. "He's sweet. I've asked for your permission, you said I can _interfere_. Are you jealous, my friend?"

Elissa shook her head and answered "No, I'm not jealous", but she knew that she was lying.

Leliana giggled. "You know you can't fool me, Elissa!"

Anora was the happiest woman in celebration room! She was finally dancing with Fergus! She would not leave him out of sight for the rest of the night. Finally, things were going to be just the way she wanted. She would catch him in her web just like a spider catches a fly. There was no turning back now, it was too late for him to get away. Nobody could escape from Anora Mac Tir's web once it's caught in it!

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

The king was sitting on an armchair in front of a big fireplace, holding an empty glass in one hand and a bottle full of wine in his other hand, tormenting himself with his thoughts. His face was full of sadness and guilt, his eyes were closed. He was thinking how he had just survived his wedding day with Pauline, his new Orlesian wife. He had done his duty, he had married Pauline and the Empress of Orlais was very happy about that alliance and had even blessed them herself. The celebration had been a very good opportunity for both Ferelden and Orlesian nobles to discuss and exchange useful trade information. New trade routes had been established between the two countries, important contracts had been signed between some wealthy Ferelden and Orlesian nobles at the celebration. Things were going well now for Ferelden, the country had fully recovered in the last year, since he had been made king. He should had felt happy, he had done his duty well, yet he was miserable. He felt empty, like his own heart was missing, like he had locked it in an iron box and then he had thrown the key away!

He poured himself a glass of wine and drank it up. It was his wedding night and he would need do his damn kingly duty again. His new wife was expecting him in the other chamber, waiting for him to get ready. The country needed an heir to the throne, he was forced to do his duty to the country again! He would have to make love with a woman that he didn't love! Well, maybe not make love, just sex, but he didn't like that idea either! He poured himself an other glass of wine and drank it up. He suddenly remembered Morrigan's ritual, thinking that he could use the "jar method" again, but he cleared the stupid plan immediately out of his mind, embarrassed about it. How would he manage to explain to an Orlesian woman that didn't speak Ferelden, in his terrible Orlesian, that he would bring his seed in a jar and… never mind. Stupid plan! The idea of using a translator for it was even stupider! No! This time he couldn't run away from it! He would have to perform his duty as king and husband.

'_Wine will help!'_ thought the king as he drank all the rest of the wine from the bottle, then got up from the armchair and said: "For Ferelden!", heading slowly for the other room where his new wife was expecting him.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"


	11. Heal My Heart

_Many thanks to all of you who wrote reviews and to all who subscribed to my story. _

_**This chapter contains explicit adult content. Be warned!**_

**Chapter 11: Heal My Heart**

_When you feel cold and warm at the same time,_

_when you read over the same line for the tenth time,_

_when your heart and thoughts somehow appear to rhyme,_

_and when a simple name conquers your whole mind,_

_then you are in deep trouble my friend… you are in what they call, "love"._

_~ Philippos Aristotelous_

_A woman was standing naked near the bed, looking down at the floor. A small candle, placed on a night table nearby, was lighting her beautiful curly body. A naked mad came from behind her and touched her left arm slowly. She flinched and sighed as she felt his touch. _

"_Tell me that you want me," whispered the man in her ear. _

"_I want you," said the woman, staring at the floor. The man moved his hand slowly from her arm to her left breast, touching her and making her flinch. He got closer and wrapped his hands around her hips, then he slowly bended her body and placed her hands on the bed. She only moved her head, her eyes staring at the bed now. He kissed her neck slowly, while his hands were gently squeezing her beautiful round breasts._

"_Do you want me to continue?" asked the man, whispering in her ear. _

"_Yes, don't stop," she whispered back. He moved his hands on her naval, bending her further. He placed himself behind her, searching for her entrance. She moaned as he gently pushed his hard erection into her. _

_Then, he moved his hands to her breasts and squeezed them slowly, while he was trusting harder into her. She closed her eyes and made a deep moan. _

"_You like it harder?" he asked while he was trusting into her faster. _

"_Yes, harder," she said between two moans. _

"_You like it rough, my naughty little whore?" he whispered in a husky voice. _

"_Harder!"she screamed moaning louder, her breath getting faster. _

"_Beg me," yelled the man, slowing down his thrusts into her, almost stopping. _

"_Please, harder! Harder!" screamed the woman. _

_He smiled wickedly and pushed into her with all his power, holding her hips with both his hands. The woman moaned loud, leaned open her elbows, her nails holding the bed's sheets tight, trying hard to withstand his fast and powerful thrusts._

"_Yes!" screamed the woman as she felt the pleasure of her release overwhelming her. He groaned loud and pushed one last time into her with all his power and then he stopped. _

"_This was very good," said the man as he kissed her neck and slowly releasing her from his arms. _

"_Very good, indeed, " said the woman smiling and turning her body to look at him. _

"_Too bad you have to leave, Elissa," he said smiling wickedly._

"_We could have had so much fun together!" said the man as he searched for her lips, his hands grabbing her jaws and kissing her passionately. _

"_You're a married man now, Alistair!" said Elissa as she returned the kiss and bit his lip. _

"_It doesn't matter!" said Alistair as he bit her lip too. _

_She stopped and pushed him away, her face turning suddenly all sad, her eyes trying hard to hold back the tears. He was married now, she was just his mistress, his pet, his toy, his... whore! She felt ashamed, thinking about what her parents would have said! She knew that it was not right, she needed to end this!_

"_Or I could tie you up to the bed right now and never let you go," said Alistair as he grabbed her wrists hard._

"_No, I must leave now!" said Elissa crying. She needed to run away from him and never look back. Fergus had been right, she had to move on!_

_He started to roar with laughter. His eyes suddenly turned dark and dangerous. _

"_You're not going anywhere, Elissa! You're mine!" he said and kissed her passionately, his face changing suddenly into something not human, a creature full of desire… _

"_NO, get away from me!" yelled Elissa at him, trying to escape from his arms. _

_The demon sensed her change of mood; it knew her inner weaknesses, but it had lost its power when she had started to realize that she was doing something against her moral principles, against what her parents had taught her. It had accidentally revealed its real form to Elissa._

"_What's the matter? You don't like me anymore?" said the entity "I can transform into somebody else, anybody else," said the demon laughing. "How about me? I know you want me too!" said the entity as it started to transform into Anders._

_Elissa slowly backed up from the entity; her face was full of surprise and fear. "NO!" she yelled. _

_The demon, now shaped into Anders's form, started to laugh at her "You want me. Don't try to fool me, Elissa! I know your inner desires. I know you want him: Anders! I can give him to you, I can be him for you, I can give you unimaginable pleasure." said the demon in Anders's voice._

"_NO!" screamed Elissa as she ran away from the demon._

"NO! Get away from me, demon!" screamed Elissa as she woke up from the nightmare.

'_A desire demon! That's what all these strange dreams I've been having since the Blight ended… that's what they mean… Holy Maker! _'thought Elissa to herself.

She got up from the bed and threw up in a bucket nearby.

'_It's been a month since his wedding and I still had dreams about him! And now this shape-shifting into Anders… Holy Maker! This is really scary! I'm no mage, why would a desire demon want to torment my dreams? I must ask Anders about this! But I'm too embarrassed to tell him!" _she sighed and took a deep breath.

_'I must do it, I can't let this continue!_' thought Elissa and started to dress herself quickly in a simple red dress that she just happen to find on a chair nearby.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Elissa was standing in front of Anders's room knocking hard.

"Anders! Wake up!" yelled Elissa.

"Hey, stop yelling, I'm coming! You'll wake the whole Keep up!" answered a sleeping voice from behind the door.

Elissa stopped the knocking and yelling and waited. After a few minutes, a sleepy Anders opened the door.

What is it, Commander? If the keep is on fire again, I didn't do it! I was sleeping, Ser Pounce-a-lot here is my witness! Must be Velanna's doing!" said Anders.

Elissa smiled. "Nothing is on fire, Anders! Calm down! I need to talk to you, can I come in?" she said.

Anders stopped for a moment thinking hard, then he pinched himself. "Sure, come in, Commander."

Elissa entered Anders's room and waited for him to close the door.

"Here, have a seat," said Anders pointing to a char nearby.

"Thanks," answered Elissa as she sat gently on the char.

Anders looked at the beautiful woman in front of him with a suspicious look on his face. She was wearing a simple red dress, a little too tight around her breasts, revealing their beautiful round shape. Then, the mage pinched himself again, harder this time. He decided that it was not a dream and took a seat on a chair near Elissa.

"So, what's with this strange visit in my bedroom in the middle of the night? Not that I would mind your presence here... " he said, trying hard not to stare at her perfect round breasts.

"I … I need your help, Anders," she said in a worried voice.

"Oh… of course. Anything for you, Commander," said Anders looking at her with suspicion in his eyes.

She stared at him, thinking hard, not knowing how to proceed further. He stared at her suspiciously, thinking hard too.

"Meow," said Ser Pounce-a-lot suddenly, interrupting both their thoughts.

"Hungry, little fellow?" said Anders looking at the cat. "Well, I guess we should feed you, my little friend. Maybe we should continue our discussion in the kitchen then?" he said looking at Elissa. '_I feel safer there_', he thought.

"Good idea," said Elissa and got up from the chair. '_Damn it! I've just invaded this man's bedroom in the middle of the night! Smooth! Very smooth, Elissa!' _she thought to herself.

They both walked to the kitchen, followed by Ser Pounce-a-lot.

"Here you go, kitty!" said Anders as he put a bowl full of milk on the floor in front of Ser Pounce-a-lot. Then, he took a seat near Elissa, who was already at the table, eating some cookies.

"Milk?" he asked, pointing to the bottle of milk in his hand.

"Sure, cookies?" she said pointing to the plate full of cookies on the table.

"Hmm, cookies! My favorites!" he answered happy. Then, Anders poured Elissa a glass a milk.

Elissa took a deep breath and decided to start the conversation."So, Anders, what can you tell me about desire demons?"

Anders flinched and got all serious. "Hm, desire demons! Nasty wicked creatures! I can tell you many thing about them, what do you want me to start with?" he said looking at Elissa who seemed very nervous.

Elissa sighed, took another deep breath, then continued. "What do they want from us, mortals?"

Anders sighed too. "They feed on the mortals most powerful inner desires and usually try to possess a mage and experience the world of the living through his body, transforming him into an abomination."

"So they are interested only in mages?" asked Elissa.

"Sometimes in templars too, if their desire is strong enough," said Anders raising an eyebrow,"So this is... is this the reason we're here? You've been having some strange dreams lately, Commander?"

"I… yes. I think… I've just woke up from this dream... and I'm sure that I saw a desire demon in it," she said with worry in her voice.

"What was the dream about?" he asked.

"I… I really cannot tell you this," she said blushing and avoiding his eyes.

"I see… it must have been something pretty nasty..." he said raising an eyebrow.

"Well… never mind," she said embarrassed. "How do you make it stop?"

"There are two ways. The easiest way is to confront it and kill it, but only a mage can do this. I can enter your dreams and wait for it to interfere. But it is not easy to kill, it can escape if it senses danger. I need two flasks of your blood in order to proceed with the ritual," said Anders getting very serious.

"Wait! You want to enter my dreams? You need my blood?" she said worried. "Is this a blood ritual you're talking about?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. '_He wants to enter my dreams! I cannot let this happen! It's too embarrassing to share my naughty dreams with him! What if the demon takes Anders's form now... not that in Alistair's form would be less embarrassing either! No! Stupid plan!' _she thought and said "No! Blood magic is forbidden, Anders!" with full determination in her voice.

"But you agreed when I saved your life that time using my blood… " said Anders. '_I bet she's dreaming about him._' he thought.

"That was different! We were in an extreme situation!" she protested.

"What's the matter? You don't want a handsome mage in your dreams, Commander?" joked Anders.

"Stop it, Anders!" yelled Elissa. _'You have no idea what you've just said.' _she thought.

"Uhhh… I bet the Commander has some pretty naughty dreams she wants to hide from me." said Anders grinning from ear to ear.

"Drop it, Anders! NOW!" she yelled jumping from the chair. _'You'll pay for this, Anders!_' she thought.

"Fine, sorry!" said Anders making a sad puppy face. '_Damn! She's so hot when she gets angry!_' he thought looking as she calmed down and gently sat back on the chair.

"You said that there are two ways. What's the other way?" she asked in a calm voice, looking at the man with the sad puppy face in front of her. '_Maker! Leliana was right, he __**is**__ sweet!_' she thought.

"Well, the other way is to stop the source of desire to which the demon is linked to. But it's not an easy way. There are some tricks I could teach you, but they will not kill the demon, only make you realize the difference between the demon's illusion and the reality. If you have enough willpower, you can resist the demon's illusion and maybe, in time, it will lose interest in you," said Anders all serious.

"Alright, teach me!" she said.

"Let's see. My best trick is to pinch myself pretty hard whenever I found myself in an oddly and almost impossible situation. I mean when something looks too good to be true. Like when you showed up at my door in the middle of the night wearing this dress… " said Anders blushing. '_Maker! There! I've said it! Damn!_' he thought.

"Oh, I see," said Elissa blushing too, trying to hide her breasts with her arms. '_Damn!_'

"But in order to eliminate the desire for a thing or a… person, you need to make the impossible dream a reality… I mean to experience in real life the thing you desire so much, " said Anders blushing harder and looking at the floor.

"I see, I think I got the idea," said Elissa blushing harder too. '_He's so sweet when he's bashful! Maker, am I really falling for him?Was the demon right? I want… Andraste's flaming sword!_'

There was silence for a few moments, both of them eating cookies, drinking milk and thinking hard.

Elissa decided to break the silence : "So, Anders, did you enjoy Leliana's company at the celebration? " '_Let's tease Anders a bit now! Pay back time!_' she thought smiling.

Anders choke on a cookie and started to cough. '_Maker! She can't be asking me about THAT! Can she?_' he thought as he tried hard to recover after the choking.

"Well, yes, but she's not my type," he answered.

"Leliana is a good girl," continued Elissa smiling.

"Well, I don't think _'good girl'_ is the right term to describe her," said Anders. _'Sexy, seductive, hot, __naughty… any of these words, but not good girl. I bet she could make even a desire demon blush.' _thought Anders_. _"Why? Do I sense a bit of jealousy in your words, Commander?" he said raising an eye brow.

"I just wanted to say that she has a good heart, Anders," said Elissa blushing. '_Dammit! I am jealous!_'

"Oh, that… yes, she does. She tried to help me… " said Anders blushing, thinking about his conversation with Leliana.

"Help you with what?" asked Elissa curiously.

"Mmmmage sssstuff ..." he babbled trying to lie. '_Should I tell her now? No, I can't…_' he thought getting very serious.

"But she's a rogue, not a mage!" said Elissa with suspicion in her voice realizing his lie.

"I… I think I should go back to sleep, now. That is… if you've done asking me about demons, Commander," said Anders as he jumped nervously from his chair.

"Right, I'm coming too," she said as she got up too.

They both left the kitchen followed by Ser Pounce-a-lot.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

"Good night, Commander," said Anders as soon as they arrived in front of Elissa's bedroom door.

"Good night, Anders," said Elissa after she opened the door.

As soon as Elissa opened the door, Ser Pounce-a-lot jumped quickly into her bedroom.

"Ser Pounce-a-lot! Get back here! No, you cannot sleep in the good lady's room," yelled Anders after the cat. But the cat didn't return.

"Come here, kitty, kitty!" tried Anders again.

"Maybe I have a mouse in my room," said Elissa in surprise, as she opened the room for Anders to enter.

"Come here, Ser Pounce-a-lot!" yelled Anders, but the cat did not obey him.

"Well, cats are like that, they are independent creatures, they don't obey their master, not like dogs do," said Anders smiling. "We should get him. You don't want to be awaken at 6 o'clock in the morning by him asking for food," he said smiling again. "Come here, kitty! You cannot sleep here with the beautiful lady! Naughty, naughty kitty!" yelled Anders again.

The cat jumped on a high book shelf behind Elissa's desk. It was looking curiously at the two humans that were calling it to get down from there.

"I guess he's not going to get down, does he?" said Anders after a few moments of yelling at the cat.

"I'll get up on the desk and try to make him jump off the shelf. You stay down here and try to catch him," ordered Elissa.

"Yes, Commander," said Anders in an obedient voice.

Elissa got on the desk quickly, but the cat climbed upper on the shelf and she tried to get to him and got on the edge of the desk, on her toes.

When Elissa finally reached the cat, Ser Pounce-a-lot jumped off and made Elissa lose her balance. She fell directly on Anders, who tried to catch her in his arms, but failed.

"Ouch, that hurt," said Anders after Elissa just fell on top of him. "Well, at least you're not hurt, are you, Commander?"

"Sorry about that, I'm fine, thanks for catching me, by the way," said Elissa smiling at the man under her.

"Well... I've always dreamed about this... but it was the other way round... you on the floor and me on top… " said Anders smiling and blushing "So what are we going to do about… this?"

"I don't know... get up or something ?" said Elissa blushing too.

"Yeah... but I don't thing I want to get up so soon, do you?" said Anders blushing harder.

She smiled and whispered in his ear "And what else do you have in mind?"

"Well... my heart is really telling me to kiss you right now… but my head is screaming something like '_Oh NO, Anders! Don't do it! She's going to kick your mage ass so bad that you won't be able to walk for a whole week!_' What should I do, Commander?" he said looking into her beautiful green eyes.

She smiled, bit her lip slowly and said: "Well, I think that sometimes the best decision comes from the heart, don't you agree?"

"I think I like the sound of that..." he said looking into her eyes, searching for permission to kiss her, then, he gently touched her lips with his lips, while he was closing his eyes.

She kissed him back, slowly, then opened her mouth, letting him deeper the kiss, his lips were attracted to hers like two magnets; the sensation was hot, almost electrical, sending shivers on her spine.

He stopped, opened his eyes and said "Wow, that was better than I ever dreamed of!"

"Why did you stop then?" she asked.

"Oh, I need to pinch myself hard… you know… make sure you're not a demon… sorry," he said smiling and then he pinched himself hard.

"Oh, right, I guess I should pinch myself too," she said and pinched herself.

"Really?" he asked surprised.

"Yeah, let's just stop talking now,"she said and kissed him slowly.

They kissed on the floor for a few moments, then Elissa got up and helped Anders get up too. She started to undress him, but he stopped her.

"Commander, are you sure about this?" he asked worriedly.

"Yes, Anders, and I think it's time for you to stop calling me Commander," she said.

"But what… how should I call you, then?" he asked.

"Try Elissa," she said and kissed him, then took his mage robe off.

Ser Pounce-a-lot was sitting on Elissa's desk looking at the two humans and thinking.

'_Well, well... you finally got your female agree to mate with you, my human friend! Glad I could help! I expect an extra bowl of milk each breakfast, as a reward from now on!'_

The cat looked closer to the two humans making love in bed. '_Now, now, why is he washing her like cats do? Don't humans wash themselves with that awful thing called water? Is that a human mating thing? And why is he sucking on her nipples? Doesn't he know that females only lactate when they have kittens? And what is it with all that mouth in mouth licking? I swear these humans are so stupid sometimes! Wait... what is he doing now? NO! Must I teach you THAT too, my stupid human friend? Not like that! You were supposed to bite her scruff and… I see, so it works THAT way for humans… interesting! I wonder if that piebald beauty from the village nearby would agree to this position next mating season when I visit her… no, maybe not. Cats can't do that… only humans… I definitely want to be a human now … in my next life!'_

"So... I think I should leave now, " said Anders looking at the beauty he was holding in his arms.

"No. Please stay... and never leave me," she said looking into his eyes, then she smiled wickedly and said: "And I think I need a handsome mage in my bedroom from now on, to protect me from bad dreams…"

"Sounds good enough for me!" said Anders and kissed her gently.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"


	12. Never Say Never

_Many thanks to **alyssacousland**, **Sharem** and **fifespice** who wrote reviews and to all who subscribed to my story. _

**Chapter 12 : Never Say Never **

"_Love is the condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own." - Robert Heinlein _

It was 6 o'clock in the morning and the sun gently started to warm the cold stone walls of the Vigil's Keep. In one of the Keep's rooms, a tabby cat was seated on the floor near the bed, looking at its human master who was sleeping.

_'__It's time for breakfast, my lazy human friend! Time for you to feed me! Get up, NOW!__' _thought the little feline.

"Meow," whispered the cat, as it tried to awake its master in a gentle way_. _

_'Although, you could need more sleep, my human friend, especially after THAT mating time you had with your female last night! Meeeow! That was really hot! And, trust me, I've seen a lot of your human mating techniques in the last six months, since you've convinced her to mate with you... I still don't know how come you're still with the same female! But I'm so hungry! GET UP NOW!'_

"Meow," said the cat a little louder than the first time.'_Come on! You have all my respect for the way you mated with her last night. I really want to be a human, now! But there is one thing I don't understand: after 6 months of constant mating, where are the kittens? Don't humans have kittens? Not that I would mind… kittens are baaaaad; females with kittens don't want to mate! So you have somehow avoided the kittens issue, goood! Now, GET UP!_'

"Meow," said Ser-Pounce-a-lot louder. '_GET UP! NOW! You lazy human!_'

"Bad kitty! Let me sleep! Can't you go and catch a mouse or something?" answered a very sleeping Anders from the bed.

The cat looked curiously at its human master. '_You want me to catch you a mouse? Why? You don't eat it, I don't eat it… do you think I'm stupid to eat a disgusting mouse when you have that delicious milk there, in the kitchen? But for you, my human friend, I'll do it! I'll catch you a mouse… although I don't understand why you screamed so badly last time I put a dead mouse in your favorite boot! It was supposed to be a surprise, a gift, yet you yelled at me! Why? Oh… I see now… maybe you don't want it dead… Yeah, I get it now, you want to play with it a little. Alright, now get up and give me some milk and you'll have a dizzy mouse in your boot by the end of the day!_'

"Meow!" yelled Ser-Pounce-a-lot with all its feline power.

"You know him, Anders. He's not going to stop it until we are awaken," said a sleepy Elissa from the bed.

"Right, I'll just go to the kitchen to feed him so he'll finally shut up," said Anders, then he got slowly up from the bed and started to dress himself.

The cat looked at its master and purred slowly as it rubbed Anders's robe. '_Finally, you lazy human! Let's go, I'm hungry!_'

Anders went to the kitchen, fed Ser-Pounce-a-lot and returned to the bedroom with a big plate full of food.

"How did you sleep, my darling? Any bad dreams? I've brought breakfast." said Anders as he entered the room.

"I slept very well, dear. No more bad dreams since I have a handsome mage in my bed." she said smiling as she was getting up from the bed. But as she stood up, she felt dizzy and sick.

"I'm not hungry… I don't feel well," said Elissa and ran to a get a bucket nearby, then she threw up in it.

"I think I'm sick," she said worriedly.

"Let me examine you," said Anders as he took Elissa in his arms and placed her gently on the bed, on her back.

Then, he started to cast a Trevinter examination spell, which was revealing him the internal organs of her body. He moved his hand over Elissa slowly. His hand suddenly stopped at her belly and he started to grin like a fool.

"What's wrong? You're scarring me, Anders!" said Elissa, looking in surprise.

"Well, you're not sick, my dear lady," he answered, as he was still grinning and holding his hand on her belly.

"But I feel sick and I'm dizzy... " she said as she looked at him suspiciously.

"You're two months pregnant," he said grinning again.

"What? How? That's not possible..." she said shocked.

"I think that six months of constant love making might have something to do with this," he answered, raising an eyebrow.

"But Grey Wardens..." she tried to say it, but she stopped. She put her hand on her mouth and closed her eyes, as bad memories were coming back to her.

"Are you sure, dear?" she asked him after a few moments.

"Yes, I'm sure, we're going to have a baby, my darling! Isn't this wonderful?" he said grinning from ear to ear.

"Yes, it's a miracle," she said smiling.

He bended over her and kissed her gently, while he was touching her belly slowly.

Ser-Pounce-a-lot stared at the two humans that were kissing each other. '_Oh NO! Kittens! NO! Kittens are bad! You need to find another female now, my human friend! Such a bad luck!_'

"Well, I think now it's a good time," said Anders, then went to the closet and started to search something inside it.

"A good time for what?" she answered surprisingly, raising an eyebrow.

He smirked, found what he was looking for, then he returned to the bed, bended on his knees.

"Elissa Cousland, I never though this would ever happen to me, to fall in love so deeply… I love you, Elissa, would you marry me?" he said looking into her beautiful green eyes. He was holding a beautiful engagement ring in his right hand.

"I love you too, Anders! Yes, I will!" she answered, returning the affection from his eyes. "For how long have you been planning this?"

"I've bought this ring last time when we were shopping in Amaranthine; I told Nate and Sigrun to distract you... I wanted to give it to you as a birthday gift, but I think I cannot wait anymore… Do you like it?" he said, smirking back and placing the ring on her finger.

"Yes, very much! " she said looking at the beautiful golden ring with a small emerald stone. Then, she grabbed his chin with her hand, searched for his lips and kissed him slowly.

"Anders, we need to see Avenus at Soldier's Keep as soon as possible, about the baby… I hope there will be no problems with the taint..." she said after the kiss, suddenly getting all worried.

"Yes, I guess we should, but I'm sure everything is going to be alright. Hey, don't worry too much! It's bad for the baby!" said Anders, trying to calm her down.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

The king was sitting alone in his office, reading a Ferelden – Orlesian trade report. Over the last eight months, trade had significantly improved between the two countries, due to the many trade contracts that had been signed after his wedding. The two nations were in very good relations, all hostilities had been eliminated, the nobles from both countries were very happy about the alliance. Arl Eamon was also very happy about Alistair's marriage to Pauline, especially because she was eight months pregnant already. The country would have an heir to the throne soon. Alistair sighted deeply as he thought about his pregnant wife. At least she got pregnant soon after the wedding, so he didn't had to perform that other kingly duty anymore! Him and Pauline were just friends, but the king hoped that maybe a baby would bring them closer. She didn't like Ferelden and she always said that it smelled like wet dogs. And of course, she hated dogs, and politics and trade, so she didn't interfere in the country's matters at all. Alistair did all the ruling and administration of the country, but he didn't mind it. It was an arranged marriage and they were both aware of that. That was one of the few things they had in common. Her only duty was to give birth to an heir and things were going just in the right direction.

The king had tried to occupy all his time with work, he had become an expert in ruling and administration and, even if he had a lot of advisers and staff, he liked doing a lot of the tasks by himself. At least the working made him happily, because it made him forget about his lost love. Yes, he was still thinking about _her_! But at least the strange hot dreams had suddenly stopped one month after his wedding, and were not tormenting his night sleep anymore.

As soon as he finished reading the report, he felt something he hadn't felt for a long time: Wardens, two of them, approaching him. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," said the king.

"Your Majesty, the Warden Commander is here asking for an audience," said a servant as he bowed to the king.

"Send her in," said the king; he immediately felt his heart pumping hard.

After a few moments, the door opened and the Warden Commander of Ferelden entered the king's office, followed by a mage.

"Your Majesty," said the Commander after she bowed to the king; then the mage bowed too.

"Warden Commander, a pleasure to see you. What can I do for you?" said the king, as his heart pumping harder.

The Commander approached the king and handled him a sealed scroll.

"What is this?" asked the king, raising an eyebrow.

"My resignation as Warden Commander and arlessa of Amaranthine, your Majesty," said the Commander with full determination in her voice.

"I'm sorry? WHAT?" yelled the king while he opened the scroll.

"I hereby resign my appointment as Warden Commander of Ferelden and Arlessa of Amaranthine, your Majesty," said the determined Commander.

"Why?" asked the king after he read the scroll with the Warden Commander seal.

"I have my personal reasons, your Majesty. I suggest appointing either Nathaniel Howe or Sigrun as the next Commander. Oghren and Velanna would be my last choices, for obvious reasons," said the Commander with full determination.

"What personal reasons?" yelled the king.

"I'm sorry, your Majesty, I don't want to discuss with you my personal reasons," said the Commander looking coldly into the king's eyes.

The king looked at the cold and determinate Commander in front of him. She was wearing a simple silverite armor, instead of the Warden Commander one that she usually wore. 'Dammit_, Elissa! Why are you doing this?_' he thought.

"Commander, your good reputation and your victory against the darkspawn have only proven that _you_ are the best choice for this job, not Nathaniel, not Sigrun… I don't understand why you want to resign it," said the king, calming down.

"I'm sorry, your Majesty, it's my personal reason, all I can say is that I won't be capable to perform my duty anymore," said the Commander in a warm voice now.

"I won't allow it! Not unless I know your reason, Commander," said the king staring suspiciously at the Commander.

Elissa sighed, then took a deep breath and whispered "I'm getting married," her eyes were looking at the floor now.

The king felt the words cut him to the quick, but he tried hard to recover from the shock and use his head to think about the situation.

"But what does this have to do with..." he said, but he was interrupted by Elissa.

"To a mage", whispered Elissa looking at the king now.

The king flinched and looked at the mage near Elissa. He recognized him immediately, it was the same mage that had healed her then, at Vigil's Keep, when she had almost died. '_Anders_. _So, you're __the lucky one!_' he thought as he was shooting fire with his eyes at Anders.

Anders looked at the angry king in front of him and returned him the angry look.

"The Grand Cleric won't allow us to marry because I'm an arlessa and mages cannot bear titles," said Elissa looking at the two men shooting fire at each other.

"I would like to speak alone with you, Commander," said the king still looking angrily at Anders.

"Of course, your Majesty," answered Elissa and made Anders a sign to leave them alone.

"Sure, but if she punches you, you'd better get your fancy royal healer, because I'm not healing _you,_ your majesty!" yelled the mage.

"I'm not going to hit him, Anders," said Elissa calmly, looking at Anders.

"Why? I would do it if I were you! But I'm a mage, I don't punch people, I fry their asses!" said Anders shooting another angry look at the king.

"Anders, please..." whispered Elissa and made him a sign with her head to leave them alone.

Anders sighed. "Alright, I'll go," and he left the room.

Alistair looked Elissa into the eyes and asked : "Just tell me one thing, Elissa: does he make you happy?"

"Yes, he does. I'm very happy with him," she answered smiling; her eyes were full of happiness.

"Then I'm happy for both of you, Elissa. I'll help you, I'll find a way for you to marry him. But he would not bear a title, I think this will be the compromise the Grand Cleric will agree with," said the king in a calm voice.

"If it's perfect, he doesn't want to bear a title. Thank you, Alistair… I mean your majesty, " she said smiling beautifully at him.

"I just need to talk to Eamon and find a way to persuade the Grand Cleric to agree to your request," said the king, getting all serious.

"Thanks." she said avoiding his eyes and looking down at the floor.

Alistair felt something, a strange feeling… something like she was hiding something from him.

He looked at her with suspicion in his eyes. "There is something else, is it not? You're holding back something from me, I can feel it! You could never hide from me... what is it, Elissa?"

She sighed, her eyes still looking at the floor, thinking hard. _'I need to tell him, he'll find it out later anyhow... it's better to hear it from me first…'_.

Then she took a deep breath and whispered with fear in her voice: "Alistair... I'm pregnant... and yes, it's Anders's child..."

Alistair felt his heart stop for a few moments, his body shake and his feet were too weak to sustain him anymore… he felt dizzy and almost collapsed on the floor. His brain stopped thinking… he felt hopeless, destroyed.

There was silence... a painful silence for both of them… for a few minutes.

"So,how far is the… pregnancy?" said Alistair as he tried hard to recover from the shock.

"Three months. Avenus said it's safe now... it's a healthy baby, it's tainted, but its body is fighting the taint like a Grey Warden, so the baby is a Grey Warden already. There are still dangers, but until now everything seems all right. Avenus is optimistic about it. He said that it is rare, yet not impossible for two Grey Wardens to have a child… with each other," said Elissa looking worried at Alistair and trying hard to control her fast heart beat.

There was silence again… Alistair felt his heart pound like it wanted to come out of his chest, like the whole world just collapsed and there was no more hope! He wanted to scream, to break something, to… '_Maker! It could have been my child!'_ he screamed in his mind.

"I'm... I'm so sorry Elissa! I never thought this could happen! I thought it is impossible! I heard the other Wardens talking about the difficulty of having children... . I'm such a FOOL!" he said looking at her, his eyes full of guilt and despair. '_Maker! It could have been my child!'_

She put a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him and said in a calm voice: "Don't... don't be. You didn't know then when you... " , she stopped, sighed, decided not to bring back more bad memories and then she smiled sadly. "And I've heard your wife is eight months pregnant. Congratulations! No heart feelings Alistair! Let's not think about the past anymore!"

Alistair tried to use all his templar training to control himself. He stared at Elissa for a few moments, then took a deep breath."I think Nathaniel Howe should replace you, but only during the limited time you won't be capable to perform your duty". He took another deep breath. "You will be reassigned as Commander after you recover from the birth," he said again, still looking at her with guilt in his eyes.

"Of course, your majesty," said Elissa calmly.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

After a few hours of discussion - with both Arl Eamon and the Grant Cleric of Ferelden - the king managed to fulfill his goal. He brought Elissa and Anders a royal scroll, signed by the Grand Cleric of Ferelden, allowing them to marry, but with one condition: Anders would never bear the title of arl of Amaranthine. After the two Wardens left the Palace, the king locked himself into his office. He told the servants to not disturb him no matter what.

The guard that was on duty on the king's office door heard a lot of noise coming from the king's office, like somebody was destroying the glasses, the furniture, the whole room. After almost an hour, the noise stopped, but then he heard something he would never forget for the rest of his life: the king was crying, screaming from time to time the words: '_Maker! It could have been my child!'_.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"


	13. Joy and Sorrow

_Many thanks to __**alyssacousland**__, __**Sharem**__, __**rebelgoddess19**_ _and __**Zoe Whiteraven**__ who wrote reviews and to all of you who subscribed to my story. _

**Chapter 13 : Joy and Sorrow**

"_Who will tell whether one happy moment of love or the joy of breathing or walking on a bright morning and smelling the fresh air, is not worth all the suffering and effort which life implies." ~ Erich Fromm _

Th king was standing restless in front of the Queen's royal chamber. It was almost midnight and his wife was in labor for several hours already. He started to pace around restlessly in front of the door.

'_Maker! How long does it take to give birth to a baby? What happens inside?_' he thought to himself.

Suddenly, the door opened and a midwife appeared in front of the door.

"Bring more clean cloth screeds and warm water!" yelled the midwife to a servant nearby. "Burn this ones here!" she yelled again and handed the servant a basket full of dirty cloth screeds. The woman closed the door fast, avoiding the king's eyes.

"Hey! I want to know what's happening in there! Is everything alright?" yelled the king after the midwife, but got no answer back.

'_Maker! Was that blood on those cloth screeds… is this bad?_' the king thought, worried.

"Your majesty," said arl Eamon as he approached Alistair and startling the king.

"Arl Eamon," said Alistair as he turned his head to look at the arl.

"Isn't this a happy day, your Majesty? The country is going to have a Theirin heir at last!" said Eamon, smiling.

Alistair raised an eyebrow and looked angrily at the old arl.

'_Damn you, Eamon! That's all you care about, "a Theirin heir at last"? Damn you and your manipulations techniques! It could have been my child with Elissa! I could have been a happily man now, married to the woman I love!_' thought Alistair.

Arl Eamon stopped and made a small step backwards, scared by the king's angry look, then sighed deeply.

"I see your Majesty is still angry with me. I'm sorry, your Highness, I only acted in the interest of our country. And, as you've seen, my advice had only brought peace and prosperity to Ferelden: we have avoided an war with Orlais, trade has tripled and the country has rebuilt after the Bight." stated the old arl.

"Damn you, Eamon! I could have been married now with the woman I love!" yelled the king, shooting fire with his eyes at the old arl.

The arl sighted deeply again and tried to calm the king."Your majesty, we've already discussed this a month ago. The chances of a healthy baby to be born from two Grey Wardens are very, very low. Who knows if the Commander will succeed in carrying her pregnancy to the term? Or maybe it won't be a healthy baby… I'm sorry your highness, but this was the best choice," , his voice was very calm and determinative.

The king got angrier."But we should have at least tried! You made me dump her after the Landsmeet, damn you Eamon!" yelled the king.

'_That's enough ! Now, I'm going to kill you, Eamon, with my own hands, here, on this spot, you SNAKE!_', thought the angry king.

But just when the king was about to grab Eamon and strangle him there, in front of the Queen's chamber, the midwife opened the door and both men turned their heads to look at her. She was caring a baby in her arms, wrapped in some clothes.

"Your majesty... here is your healthy baby boy," said the midwife, as she gently placed the baby in the king's arms.

The king froze, his heart and his breath both stopped, the whole world just stopped for a few moments. He just stood there staring at the perfect tiny human baby from his arms. Nothing mattered any more for him… he forgot about Ferelden, about Orlais, about trade, about the Eamon-snake, about his grief and jealousy, about his love for Elissa…. about everything. He felt a joy that he had never felt in his whole life. He was the happiest man on Thedas! Nothing mattered anymore, except for the small baby in his arms, who was staring at him with its beautiful tiny eyes. Suddenly, the baby gave him a small smile; Alistair startled and then smirked.

"Look, Eamon, he just smiled at me! Isn't he just… perfect!" said the happy king in a very calm voice.

"Congratulations, your majesty! He looks a lot like you!" said Arl Eamon staring at the small baby and smiling too.

"Hi there, little Duncan! Daddy is going to take good care of you!" said the king calmly, grinning from ear to ear at the baby.

'_I have a healthy baby boy! I have a SON! Thank you, Maker!_' thought the happy king to himself.

The midwife looked for a few moments at the happy king that was holding his son, then she sighed and took a deep breath.

"Your majesty, there is something you need to know." said the midwife.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

It was midnight when Elissa awoke suddenly, feeling very strange. She felt something like a powerful feeling of joy overwhelming her for a few moments, followed suddenly by a deep sadness, mixed with guilt.

"What's wrong, dear? Did you have a bad dream?" asked Anders waking up too, as he felt her being restless.

"No, not a bad dream… I just woke up feeling this strange joy overwhelming me, then suddenly I felt very sad. I don't know what's happening with me..." she answered, worriedly.

"Well, I've read in a book that pregnant women use to have these mood swings. Just don't worry about it, it's normal," said Anders in a calm voice.

"Really? You've read that in a book?" she asked.

"Yes, and you know what else I've read? They say sometimes pregnant women have an increase appetite…", he said smiling wickedly.

"No, I don't feel hungry now, Anders," said Elissa.

"I wasn't talking about THAT kind of appetite!" he said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh, I see…", she said grinning back.

He bended over her and started to kiss her gently, while he was slowly taking her nightdress off.

Sir Ponce-a-lot was sitting on a carpet looking at the two humans making love in the bed.

'_Here they go again! Just take at the flood, my human friend, well, at least for now! The kittens are coming soon! So you better abandon ship! Yeah, abandon ship quickly! Listen to me, my human friend! Find another female before this one beats the hell out of you!' _thought the tabby cat to himself.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

It was a sunny happy day at Vigil's Keep and everything was beautifully decorated. It was Elissa and Anders wedding day! The Throne Room was decorated with fresh flowers baskets hanging on the room's walls. Some beautiful Orlesian decorative silks were also suspended on the walls, decorating the room beautifully.

A band of minstrels was standing in the room's left corner, singing a beautiful melody. The Throne Room was full of people: Wardens, mages, templars, most of them were friends of the bride and the groom. There was Irving followed by some mage friends of Anders and of course, several templars to guard them. There were all the Wardens of Ferelden, plus some of Elissa's Blight travel companions and seneschal Varel, Mistress Woosley, captain Garevel and Yuriah.

There was also a blond woman with blue eyes, dressed in a very fancy Antivian blue dress. She looked very seductively, attracting the looks of almost every man in the room. Some of the mages that were staring at her, began to place bets on who she might be.

Zevran was standing near a little too grumpy Dalish elf mage, trying hard to test his seductive skills on her. Oghren and Felsi were arguing about something in a corner of the room and Leliana was sitting near Zevran giggling at his attempts to seduce Velanna. Nathaniel Howe and Sigrun were holding each others hand. They looked genuinely happy and in love.

Anders and the Reverand Mother of Amaranthine were standing in front of the Throne, both staring at each other.

Suddenly, the door opened and the bride entered the room arm in arm with her brother, Fergus. The bride was wearing a beautiful ivory-white silk dress, with white embroidery on her arms and shoulders. The siblings both walked slowly thoughts the Throne, smiling at each other.

As soon as the bride and Fergus arrived in front of the Throne, the music stopped. Fergus took Elissa's hand in his, then bent to Anders's ear.

"Remember our discussion, Anders. If you ever break my sister's heart, I swear to you, I'll find you anywhere and I'll kick your ass so bad, that you won't be able to walk again for the rest of your life! Do you understand me, Anders?" whispered Fergus.

Anders nodded and bent to Fergus's ear. "I promise you, Fergus, I will never break her heart!" whispered Anders back.

"Good," whispered Fergus and gave Elissa's hand to Anders, then he went two steps backwards, behind them, leaving the bride and the groom hand in hand in front of the Reverand Mother, who immediately started to recite the wedding speech.

As soon as the Reverand Mother finished the speech, the bride and the groom kissed slowly, and all the people in the room started to cheer for them.

After the wedding ceremony ended, the minstrels started to sing and several servants brought food and drinks, placing them on a huge wooden table, in the right corner of the room. The wedding guests congratulated the bride and the groom, then some of them sat at the table to eat and drink, others started to dance.

"Fergus Cousland!" screamed a blond woman with blue eyes, with an Antivian hair style and wearing an Antivian dress.

But as she was trying to reach the Fergus through the crowd, she was stopped by a young man, a handsome mage, who bowed to her and invited her politely to dance. She looked at him angrily, yelled something like "Get away from me, you filthy mage!" and continued to push herself through the crowd to reach Fergus.

"Fergus Cousland!" screamed the woman again, as she almost reached the Teyrn of Highever.

The man flinched, as he looked surprised at the woman in front of him.

"Lady Anora… what… a pleasure to meet you here!" said Fergus, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Do you like my Antivian hair style, Fergus?" said Anora bashing her long lashes and waiting for Fergus to notice her exotic look.

'_I know your wife was Antivian, Fergus. I did my research. This time you will not resist me, I'm going to get you, Fergus dear!_ ' thought the former queen.

"Yes… of course… you look… lovely, my lady," said Fergus, trying hard not to smile.

"Let's dance, Fergus," said Anora, as she grabbed Fergus's hand and dragged a very surprised, almost scared Fergus on the dance floor.

Leliana was sitting at the table eating and drinking when she suddenly saw Anora and Fergus dancing. There was something familiar in Anora's moves… '_When did Anora learn to move like that? Isn't that a bard move? What's with this woman? Poor Fergus, he looks so scared…_' thought Leliana and then she smiled wickedly, while a plan was already building in her head.

"Zevran," said Leliana to the Antivian elf that was sitting near her.

"Yes, my dear," answered Zevran.

"Do you see that Antivian beauty dancing exotically there on the dance floor?" said Leliana.

"Hmmm, how come I didn't notice _that_ beauty sooner?" said the Antivian elf, smirking.

"I want you to help me with something, Zevran," said Leliana smiling wickedly and she immediately whispered something in Zevran's ear.

"Of course, my dear Leliana," answered Zevran staring at the woman with the Antivian hairstyle and Antivian dress, dancing with Fergus. As Leliana finished revealing her plan to her friend, Zevran grinned and got up slowly from the table.

"Did you found out who she is, Finn?" said one of the mages sitting on the table to a young and sad mage that was approaching them.

"No, I asked her very politely to dance with me and she just called me a 'filthy mage'! I'm not filthy! And it's not my fault that I was born a mage..." said Finn sadly, almost crying.

"Hey, Finn, don't take it to heart! She's probably just a self-conceited noble bitch!" said the other mage, trying to comfort Finn.

Zevran got closer to the Antivian beauty on the dance floor and waited for the melody to finish. "Fergus, may I have the next dance with the lovely lady?" said Zevran to Fergus.

"Of course, Zevran," said Fergus, as he gave Anora's hand to Zevran.

"But I don't..." tried Anora to protest, but she was interrupted by Zevran's quick moves, who was already holding her close to his body.

"You remind me so much of Antiva, mia bellezza," said Zevran, smiling seductively at Anora.

Fergus left the dance floor in a hurry, almost running. He immediately reached Elissa, who was seating at the table.

"How could you do this, Elissa? How could you invite _Anora_ to your wedding, sister? Are you out of your mind?" yelled Fergus at Elissa.

"Calm down, brother. I swear to you that I did not invite her, Fergus. She's just showed up here," said Elissa looking worriedly at Fergus.

"Damn this crazy and obsessed woman!" yelled Fergus.

"Come, Fergus, have a seat near me," said Elissa, pointing at an empty chair near her.

Fergus sat slowly on the chair, trying hard to calm down. "So, I guess that the king decided that it's better not to show up at your wedding. Good!"

Elissa sighed. "Well, he said he will try to come, but I guess he's got a lot of work to do and his wife is nine months pregnant… who knows, maybe she's not feeling well… or they don't want to risk her giving birth at my wedding party."

"Well, it's for the best! Now, I don't suppose you know a place where I could hide from Anora for a few moments? I must take advantage of Zevran's distraction, " said Fergus.

Elissa giggled. "How could you run away from such an Antivian beauty, Fergus?", but then she saw her brother's angry look."Of course I'll help you, brother."

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

"I'm not Antivian, _elf_," yelled Anora at Zevran, emphasizing the word "elf".

"But you are dressed so Antivian and your hairstyle is so pretty, my lovely lady," said Zevran, gloating at Anora.

"I have this Antivian … _adviser_ woman that is helping me improve my look," said Anora, getting annoyed.

"Well, she did an excellent job, this… _adviser_ of yours, mia bellezza," said Zevran holding Anora closer to him.

"I suggest you keep a decent distance between our bodies when we dance, _elf_," said Anora very annoyed and trying hard to escape from Zevran's arms who were holding her very close to his body.

Zevran grinned and placed one of his hands on her lower back, sliding it slowly lower, lower and lower…

"Get away from me, you dirty _elf_!" yelled Anora, pushing Zevran away from her with all her strength. She somehow managed to escape from his arms.

"Ttttzzz … mia bellezza, such a bad language," said Zevran trying to grab Anora's hand again, but failing because Anora had already run away from him, heading for the big wooden table where people were sitting eating and drinking.

As she got closer to a group of young mages, she heard them talking.

"Hey, boys! I just found out who that Antivian bitch is! She's the former queen of Ferelden!" yelled one of the mages.

"Well, I'm happy that she's just a _former _now!" said another mage and then they all started to laugh.

Anora's heart froze as she just heard the mages' conversation, but then she decided to totally ignore it and to focus again on her target: Fergus. She started to look for Fergus into the crowd of people, but he was nowhere.

'_NO! Not again!_' thought Anora, getting very angry. She took a deep breath, trying to calm down, then she made her plan: she would search for Fergus everywhere and she would succeed it, no matter what… even if she would have to turn the whole Vigil's keep upside down!

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

The wedding celebration was already over and the guests had started to leave the party, when a messenger entered the Vigil's Keep throne room in a hurry; his clothes were wearing the king's symbols.

"I have a message for the Warden Commander," said the messenger, that was hardly standing on his feet, to the servant.

The servant immediately brought the exhausted man to the bride.

The messenger bowed. "My lady, I was told to bring you the following news: the king's wife has just given birth to a healthy boy last night," he took another deep breath and continued, "His majesty is sending his apologies for not being able to attend your wedding". The man started to tremble, his voice suddenly fading, he almost fainted.

"Bring this man a chair and some water!" ordered the bride to the servant.

The servant helped the man sit on a chair slowly and gave him some water.

"Tell his majesty that I'm sending him my congratulations for..." said Elissa, but was interrupted by the messenger who seemed to recover a bit.

"There is something else, my lady," said the messenger, then his face turned all sad, he sighed, took a deep breath. "The _queen_, my lady… the queen died during the childbirth."

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

_**N/A**: Translation : "mia bellezza" is Italian for "my beauty"._


	14. One Small Miracle

_Many thanks to __**alyssacousland**__, __**Sharem**__, __**rebelgoddess19**_ _and __**Zoe Whiteraven**__ who wrote reviews and to all of you who subscribed to my story. _

**Chapter 14: One Small Miracle**

_The miracle is not to fly in the air, or to walk on the water, but to walk on the earth. ~ Chinese Proverb _

The man, dressed in mage robes, was pacing restlessly in front of a closed door.

'_One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Breathe! What if something goes wrong? One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Breathe! I'm so scared! One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Breathe! I should go inside! One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Breathe! But I'm no midwife! One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Breathe! Damn it, I'm going inside, now! I'm a damned healer!'_

"Wait, Anders," said Nathaniel as he jumped in front of the mage and stopped him from opening the door,"You _don't_ want to go inside, my friend, trust me!"

"But what if they need a healer?" said a very scared Anders.

"Then the midwife will call you, my friend," said Nathaniel in a very calm voice.

"Don't worry, that Warden in there is stronger than the Stone itself! She survived a big explosion after she killed that sodding Archdemon!" said a half-drunken dwarf, "Here, Anders, have a drink, it will cheer you up a bit."

"Thanks Oghren, but I don't want to pass out so soon, we'll celebrate later...", he sighed, "... if everything is alright."

"There is nothing you can do, my friend. Just wait," said Nathaniel calmly.

'_One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Breathe! Damn it! How long does it take? It's almost noon! One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Breathe! Did she just scream? One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Breathe! That's enough! I'm going inside!_'

"Anders, don't," said Nathaniel, as he placed himself again between Anders and the door.

"Get out of my way, Nate. I'm going inside, NOW!" yelled Anders, trying to push Nathaniel out of his way.

"No, Anders, don't," said Nathaniel, holding his ground.

"OUT OF MY WAY, NOW!" yelled Anders.

"NO!" yelled Nathaniel.

"DAMN YOU, NATE!" yelled Anders.

"There is nothing you can do, just… wait, my friend," said Nathaniel, calming down.

'_One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Breathe! She just screamed again! One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Breathe! Did I just hear a baby cry? One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Breathe! Yes! It __**is**__ a baby crying!_'

"I just heard a baby crying!" said Anders.

"Yes, me too, I think it's almost over," said Nathaniel.

"Well, I guess it's just in time for lunch, it's noon already. I'm hungry," said Oghren.

"I thought you feed on booze," said Anders.

"Yeah! Sure, I'm hungry for ale, this one here is just my special brew," said Oghren pointing at the bottle in his hand.

Suddenly, the door opened, interrupting their conversation, and a midwife got out of the room. "You can come in now." said the midwife.

The Wardens entered the room and found Elissa looking very happy, sitting on a bed, with a small baby in her arms.

"Wow, hi there little one," said Anders, looking at the baby from Elissa's arms.

"Elenor… we're going to name her Elenor, after my mother," said Elissa, smiling at the baby.

"Hi there, little Elenor… Ela, for short," said Anders as he bent closer to look at the baby, then he got closer to Elissa and said "Are you alright? Do you need any healing?"

"I'm fine, thanks," said Elissa, "would you like to hold her?"

"I'm… scared," said Anders.

"She won't bite, well not yet..." said the midwife,"Here, let me help you", she said as she took the baby from Elissa's arms and placed it gently into Anders' lap.

"Wow, you're so small, little Ela," said Anders, staring at the little baby.

"She's like a Grey Warden, I can sense her," said Elissa.

"Yes, me too! I guess she had no say in the matter, didn't she?" said Anders, sadly.

"She's healthy, that's all that matters for now. We'll have to speak to Avenus again soon." said Elissa, getting worried.

A servant entered the room in a hurry, interrupting them.

"Commander Howe, the templars are here," said the servant, hardly speaking.

"What templars? What do they want?" asked Nathaniel.

"They want to take the baby to the Chantry! They say that it's the baby of a mage, so it must be taken by the Chantry!" said the servant.

"NO!" yelled Elissa.

"Don't worry, Elissa, I won't let them take her from you," said Nathaniel heading for the door.

"Tell them that she is a Warden, they cannot take her!" yelled Elissa after Nathaniel.

"Me and my damned magic!" said Anders calmly, trying not to scare the baby from his arms.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

It was already noon and the king was playing with his five months old baby boy. He had spent all his free time with his son, Duncan, for the last five months since his wife Pauline died.

Pauline's death made the king very sad, because even if he didn't love her, he felt sorry and guilty that she had died giving birth to his child. The king loved his little son very much and enjoyed spending his free time with him.

As the servant brought the baby's lunch, the king suddenly felt a great pain, like he had been physically wounded, then an overwhelming joy, something that he had experienced only one time in his life: when the midwife had placed Duncan in his arms for the first time. The intense feeling lasted for a few minutes, then, it was replaced by a great sensation of worry mixed with anger, which also lasted for a few minutes. But then, he felt the overwhelming joy again. It was very strange, like something was playing with his emotions.

The next day, the king had an unexpected visit from the Grand Cleric of Ferelden. She requested an urgent audience with him.

"Grand Cleric, what can I do for you?" said the king, staring at the old woman in front of him.

"Your Majesty, I have an urgent request," said the Grand Cleric, "There is a baby, born from a mage, yesterday at noon, and, as your Majesty already knows, all the babies born from mages must be taken and raised by the Chantry. This is the rule and it cannot be broken. The problem is that the parents refuse to give us the baby."

"I don't agree to this rule, but I still don't understand why do you need my help," said the king, raising an eyebrow at the Grand Cleric.

"As I've already said, the parents refuse to give us the baby, your Highness. The mother is a very important person… I need your Majesty's permission to _force_ things," said the Grand Cleric.

"Who is she?" asked the king.

"She is the Hero of Ferelden, your Majesty," said the Grand Cleric.

Alistair's heart just froze, his breath stopped for a moment.

'_Maker! She really got the pregnancy to term! But what about the baby?_' thought the king. Then, he recovered from the shock and said: "Is the baby healthy?"

"Yes, your Majesty, it's healthy. The Commander of the Grey Wardens, Nathaniel Howe, told the templars that the baby is a Grey Warden too, but that's just _absurd_! We cannot check this by ourselves! We have to take the Wardens word for granted and believe them when they say that they can '_sense_' the baby!" said the Grand Cleric, annoyed and restless.

'_Thank the Maker it's a healthy baby! And it's a Grey Warden too. It's got the taint in its body. Duncan does not, he's a normal child._' thought the king.

"If it's a Grey Warden issue, then you cannot interfere, Grand Cleric," said the king.

"But nobody should be above the law, my king! The law is law, there should be no exceptions!" said the Grand Cleric.

_'Can't let them take the baby from its mother! I remember Wynne's story, how the Chantry took her son away from her, just after she gave birth, poor woman! No! Won't happen! You want law, hag, I'll give you law!' _thought the king as he started to write something on a piece of paper. He then placed the royal seal and gave the paper to the Grand Cleric.

"You're right, Grand Cleric, the law cannot be broken, but it can be changed. I hereby change the law: from now on the Chantry will stop taking babies from their parents and all the already taken babies and children should be returned to their parents immediately." said the king of Ferelden.

"This is blasphemy! You cannot do this, your Majesty!" yelled the Grand Cleric, very annoyed.

"Well, I just _did_!", said the king grinning sarcastically.

'_Sometimes, is good to be king,_' he thought.

"But they are _mages_! A baby born from a mage has a great chance to become a mage itself!" yelled the Grand Cleric.

"Oh, for Maker's sake, Grand Cleric, they are just babies! You want to take a baby from its parents just because it might become a mage in the future… oh, please, you're worse than the Archdemon itself!" yelled the king back.

"The Maker will punish you for this, your Majesty!" yelled the Grand Cleric and left the king's office in a hurry.

"Or maybe He will punish _you_ for all the babies that you've already taken!" yelled the king after the Grand Cleric.

'_Yes, sometimes, it's __**so**__ good to be king!_' thought the king, smiling.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

A woman, dressed in the Warden Commander armor, was standing nervously in front of an old mage, in the Mage's Tower from the Solder's Keep fortress. A blond mage with ponytail was standing besides her, holding a few days old baby in his arms.

"You want to make experiments on _our_ baby, Avenus ? NEVER!" yelled Elissa at the old mage.

"But Commander, she is the key to unlock the mystery of the taint! She is a miracle, it's very rare, almost impossible for a healthy baby to be born from two Grey Wardens! Think about the possibilities: we could cure the Grey Wardens from their nightmares, avoid their Calling, extend their lifetime, change the Joining so that there will be no more deaths... ," said the old mage calmly.

"NO!" yelled Elissa.

"But she's got the taint in her, Commander. She is like any other Grey Warden, she will have her Calling when she'll reach her thirties! Do it for her, then, Commander!" said the mage again.

Elissa closed her eyes and thought hard, then took a deep breath.

"Here is what we're going to do: you'll pack all your things, Avenus, and you'll move with us at Vigil's Keep. There, you will teach Anders all you know and you will study _together_ the taint, but without harming _our baby_ or any other Warden. If we'll do this, let's do it in the civilized way, Avenus!" said Elissa, as she calmed down.

"Alright, but I will need some of the baby's blood for my… our experiments!" said Avenus.

"FINE! But only a few drops and then Anders will heal her wound immediately!" yelled Elissa.

"I'll do as you ordered, Commander. I'll start packing right away," said Avenus and started to gather his things.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

A horse drawn carriage was running fast through the blackness of the night. It was a beautiful luxurious carriage, decorated with golden lining and drawn by two strong white horses. The carriage was a new invention of a promising Tevinter young man and the latest fashion in both Orlais and Trevinter. A coachman was sitting on the carriage's boot, bracing his feet on a footrest and horsewhipping the two white houses. Behind him, a man dressed in Tevinter mage robes and a beautiful blond noble woman were sitting on a front-facing bench having a conversation.

"So you're saying that there is no such spell for this, _mage_?" asked the woman.

"No, my lady, only this potion here," said the man pointing to the bag full of flasks from his left hand.

"And are you sure this potion will work, _mage_?" asked the woman.

"Yes, my lady, it will work, but I must warn you that this is not a long term solution…", answered the man in a Tevinter accent.

"So I have to drink another potion every two hours?" asked the woman.

"Yes, my lady, but there is no knowledge about the effects of a long term usage. There might be side effects, I don't recommend..." said the man.

"Give me that!" yelled the woman, interrupting him, and then she grabbed the bag of potions from the man's hand and quickly drank up the pink liquid from one of the small flasks that she had just taken out from the bag.

"How do I look? Am I irresistible now?" said the woman bashing her eyelashes at the man.

"My lady, you are a very beautiful woman, but it takes ten minutes for the potion to take effect," said the man in a Tevinter accent.

"Oh, I see… just prepare the next step of our plan, _mage_!" said the woman.

"But, my lady, innocent people might get hurt if we...", tried the mage to protest but was interrupted.

"What is it? Do you want more money from me? I've already told you that I'll do anything to achieve my goal! No matter the cost!" yelled the woman shooting fire with her eyes at the mage.

"No, my lady, I don't need more money, it's just that I never… " , he sighed, "… but I'll do as my lady commands!" said the man.

"I think that we have already arrived," said the woman, calming down. "Stop the carriage!" she yelled at the coachman.

The carriage stopped and the woman gently got down from it, helped by the Tevinter mage. She walked slowly, gently swapping her hips, approaching the man that was expecting her in front of the castle's gate. The man seamed nervous and angry. He looked angrily at the woman, shooting fire with his eyes at her.

"Lady Anora what..." said the man in a harsh tone, but then he froze as she was approaching him slowly, smiling so beautifully, so… irresistible… he looked at her and smiled, his face turning from anger to joy, happiness… then he grinned like a fool, like he had just seen the most beautiful woman in the world and then he whispered: "Lady Anora, what a pleasure to see you!" in a very calm voice, his eyes stopped blinking, afraid to loose the sight of her… he was absolutely bewitched!

"Fergus, my dear, are you _really_ happy to see me?" asked the blond woman bashing her long eyelashes.

"My lady, right now, I am the happiest man on Thedas!" said the man, gloating at her and smiling.

"Let's go inside, Fergus, dear, we've got work to do," said Anora, as she got closer to Fergus and gently placed her arm in his.

"Of course, my beautiful lady, my castle is your castle," said Fergus, his mouth remaining opened, his heart restless like a thunder, his eyes shining with love. He slowly walked arm in arm with her, towards the Highever castle's entrance, while he was still gloating at Anora, his eyes just couldn't bear the thought of losing the sight of her!

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

_**A/N** : Stay tuned for Anora's plan!_


	15. The Green Monster

_Many thanks to all of you who wrote reviews and to all of you who subscribed to my story. _

**Chapter 15: The Green Monster**

"_Jealousy, that dragon which slays love under the pretense of keeping it alive. "- Henry Havelock Ellis_

_**Day 1**_

_**Anora's Diary:**_

_Dear diary, the potion works! IT WORKS! This is a much better plan than that Antivian seduction technique!_

_Important : need to dismiss that Antivian bard woman, as soon as I get back home._

_I have to be careful, I need to drink the potion 10 minutes before the effect stops, this means every two hours minus ten minutes._

_Everything is going according to the plan._

_Something strange is happening… it seems that not only Fergus is in love with me, but ALL the males in the building: servants, guards and even that filthy Tevinter mage! Even Fergus's mabari! Yuck! I didn't consider that, did I? _

_I asked Fergus to replace all the male servants and guards with female ones immediately! Two guards had a fight on the hallway for ME! This totally ruined my romantic evening with Fergus! I had to lock myself in a room to get away from ALL of them!_

_**Tevinter Mage Thomas's Diary: **_

_I finally found somebody crazy enough to test my love potion. The subject, female, seems to attract all the males in the area, even a male mabari hound. I warned her about the possibility of side effects for long term usage, but she insists on using the potion until she succeeds her plan. It will be interesting to see what the side effects for a long term use might be._

_**Day 2**_

_**Anora's Diary:**_

_Dear diary, Fergus asked me to marry him, FINALLY! Well, with some help from my side, of course. We shall marry in a week! _

_Important :I'm definitely going to use this potion at the next Landsmeet, when I'll get back MY Throne. I bet nobody will be able to resist me. Thank the Maker, almost all the nobles are men! Not even that old fox Eamon will be able to fight me now! He will definitely agree with anything I'll say!_

_I've noticed that I have a nasty irritation on my back, arms and shoulders. Could it be the side effect of the potion? I have to talk to that mage, but he's also crazy about me, I just cannot have a serious conversation with that man all over me… maybe between two potions._

_**Tevinter Mage Thomas's Diary: **_

_The subject has a very ugly irritation on her back, arms and shoulders. It's definitely a side effect of the potion! I advised her to stop drinking the potion, but she refused. _

_**Day 3**_

_**Anora's Diary:**_

_Dear diary, Fergus wants us to go to Vigil's Keep to his sister. She just gave birth, but I cannot let this happen, it could ruin my plan! So I've easily persuaded Fergus to leave after our wedding! OUR WEDDING! YES!_

_Important : Must lock away that crazy mabari hound! He's always following me, everywhere! _

_My whole body is full of a nasty irritation… the mage says it's the side effect of the potions and he insists that I stop this immediately, but I can't! I must succeed! _

_**Tevinter Mage Thomas's Diary: **_

_The side effects are very bad, yet the subject continues the experiment. This is not going to end well for her! I've tried to convince her to stop, but the potion also works on me, so it was bad idea._

_**Day 4**_

_**Anora's Diary:**_

_Dear diary, the irritation got worse, I tried to see what happens if I don't drink the potion anymore, but then Fergus called me "a crazy bitch", so I've started drinking them again. _

_Important: I must order Fergus to get rid of ALL the male servants from the castle and to hire only female ones! I hardly managed to hide away from the damned gardener today!_

_**Tevinter Mage Thomas's Diary:**_

_Subject's skin irritation got worse, but she won't stop! She's obsessed, out of her mind!_

_**Day 5**_

_**Anora's Diary:**_

_Disaster! My WHOLE body is covered in blotches! And my face started to swell! I'm desperate... but Fergus still loves me… so I won't stop!_

_Important: I'll have to wear a wedding veil over my head at the wedding and also a dress that will cover all my body parts._

_**Tevinter Mage Thomas's Diary:**_

_Subject's body is full of blotches now. Her face is all swollen. This is bad! Very bad! I'll have to steal her supply of potions to force her stop. I don't want her to kill herself using MY potions._

_**Day 6**_

_**Anora's Diary:**_

_My face is all swollen. I look awful! _

_Somebody stole all my potions!_

_Fergus had a terrible shock. He finds me disgusting now, without the effect of the potion. He even called me a 'monster' and then he threw me out of his castle._

_Plan failed! _

_**Tevinter Mage Thomas's Diary:**_

_Destroyed the recipe for the love potion and all the remaining potions. It's too dangerous! Subject looks hideous now and she's in a very bad condition, might not recover soon, or ever. I feel sorry for her and also guilty. Healing magic did not cure her. She's intoxicated, the side effects seem permanent. It will take years to find a treatment and make her beautiful again... if that's even possible._

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Denerim, the heart and soul of Ferelden, was in a bustle. The citizens were making preparations for the 6th End of the Blight celebration party as there were exactly 6 years since the Hero of Ferelden had slain the Archdemon. People from all over Ferelden had already arrived in the city and all the taverns were full. The streets had been decorated with fresh flowers; some people were placing wooden tables and chairs in front of the Chantry, preparing the feast, others were building a small wooden stage for the minstrels.

There was a lot of bustle in the Royal Palace too, as the king was about to hold a celebration party and all the nobles of Ferelden had been invited to attend it. Some servants were decorating the Landsmeet chamber, others were bringing tables and chairs. The royal chefs were trying hard to cope with all the preparations that were necessary for the following feast.

It was already evening when the noble guests started to arrive at the Royal Palace, for the Celebration. The king was sitting on his throne, in the Landsmeet chamber, watching all the newly arrived nobles as they were greeting and bowing to him. The little prince, Duncan, was playing on his right with some toys.

In the last four years and a half since Duncan's birth, the king had ruled alone, he never remarried and he had spend all his free time playing with his little boy. The king had ruled the country well and people loved him.

Alistair's heart flinched as the Hero of Ferelden just entered the room, followed by her husband and their little four years old daughter. They all looked very happy together, the little girl was laughing and holding her mother's hand. The king smiled sadly, as painful memories started to torment him. He felt guilty for envying their happiness, but as soon as he saw Elissa looking so happy, his thoughts immediately changed and he felt happy too.

'_At least she's happy!_' thought the king smiling at the happy family.

Elissa and her family were followed by Fergus Cousland, the Teyrn of Highever. They all approached the king, greeted him and bowed.

The king and the Warden Commander had rarely met in the last four years, mostly at royal celebrations of the End of Blight, which had been held annually. Ela, the Commander's daughter, was a very pretty little girl, with beautiful green eyes, just like her mothers. She and little Duncan had always spent their time playing together at the previous celebrations they had both attended.

After a few more nobles, Leliana showed up at the celebration, wearing a beautiful Orlesian red silk dress, with a golden bodice around her waist and a fancy pair of golden shoes, probably Orlesian too. She greeted and bowed to the king, then, she headed for Elissa and her family to greet them too.

The king was very surprised when a beautiful woman dressed in an extravagant green dress entered the room. It was Anora MacTir! She had been absent from all public events in the last four years. People said that she had been ill, some kind of a nasty skin disease, and she had hardly recovered from it. She seemed healthy now, very beautiful, but her eyes were full of something dark… something very strange. She got closer to the king, greeted him coldly, bowed quickly then got lost in the crowd of nobles.

Then, Arl Eamon entered the room, followed by his wife Isolde and his son Connor. The arl had been dismissed from his assignment as the king's Chancellor four years ago, after Alistair had been very mad for manipulating him to break up with Elissa. But Eamon remained as a simple adviser to the throne, since he was very cunning and the king sometimes needed his help. Bann Teagan, Eamon's brother, was the king's new Chancellor now, and also Alistair's best friend.

As soon as almost all the nobles had already arrived, the king got up from his throne and gave a short speech, announcing the beginning of the celebration. After a few moments, the minstrels started to sing and the dancing began. Some of the nobles started to dance in the middle of the room, others sat at the tables full of delicious food and drinks, in the left corner of the room.

Elissa was sitting at one of the tables, Ela and Leliana were on her right, Anders and Fergus on her left. Leliana was playing with Ela's beautiful long blond hair, while she was talking to Elissa. After a few minutes of conversation, Leliana got up from her seat and invited Fergus to dance. Fergus smiled and followed Leliana on the dance floor.

As Fergus and Leliana were dancing, a blond woman dressed in green was watching them from behind; her eyes were full of anger. It was Anora, who was looking normally now, beautifully, as she had finally recovered from the skin disease produced by the love potion. She had spent the last four years trying to recover from that horrible disease, had hidden herself indoors, as her face had been badly disfigured. But she had not wasted all that time, as her quick-witted mind had never rested; she had plotted the perfect plan to get her Throne back. But now, seeing Fergus dance with Leliana made her as crossed as two sticks.

'_Get your hands off him, Orlesian whore!_' thought Anora shooting fire with her eyes at the dancing couple.

_'You will pay for this!' _thought the former queen smiling wickedly and then she walked near a black-haired servant that was sitting near one of the tables.

"I want you to take care of that that red-headed girl in the red dress too!" whispered Anora to the man, while she pointed discretely in Leliana's direction. The servant nodded discretely and Anora smiled, then walked away from him.

_'I won't let anybody ruin my plan!' _thought Anora as she remembered how she had eliminated every possible threat over the last four years. She had spies in the Highever castle, she knew everything about Fergus. She had paid the Crows a lot of money to assassinate every woman that had even dared to touch Fergus.

As Fergus was dancing with Leliana, he suddenly saw Anora staring angrily at them, from behind a group of nobles that were standing and talking.

'_What's the crazy bitch doing here?_' thought Fergus, his body flinching, his face hardly hiding away the disgust.

"What's the matter, Fergus?" asked Leliana as she noticed his change of mood.

"The crazy b-… Anora is here!" said Fergus, his voice full of worry.

"What happened between you two?" asked Leliana very boldly.

"Well… it's kind of complicated," said Fergus, sighing deeply, "Last time I saw her was four years ago and she...", he sighed deeply again, "... she tried some magic trick on me… I almost married the b-", he coughed a little ,"... almost married her!

_'Damn it! I must talk to Anders! Maybe he knows something to protect me from her further magical… attacks!' _thought Fergus as he watched Anora hiding in a small group of nobles.

"Magical trick? Almost married her?" said Leliana, surprised.

"Yeah, as I've already said… complicated. But somehow the Maker had been on my side and the magic had some very nasty side effects. She was force to stop it, as her face became totally… disfigured! So it was only when her mage stopped the magic, that I realized what she was doing… crazy woman!" said Fergus, feeling the need to throw up as the memory of Anora's disfigured face came back to his mind.

"Wow! She's really desperate! And obsessed with you!" said Leliana.

"Tell me about it! And that's not all of it! All my girlfriends that I had over the last four years had mysteriously disappeared. I suspect it was her doing, but I have no prove for it." continued Fergus, getting very nervous.

"Wow, I just hope that she's not crazy enough to kill me just for dancing with you!" said Leliana.

"I think you should watch your back!" said Fergus, getting very serious.

"Don't worry, Fergus! I know a few tricks… to protect myself, of course!" said Leliana, smiling.

The king was sitting on his throne watching Duncan and Ela playing with each other. The children were almost the same age and they were getting along very well. He was so enraptured by their game, that he did not see Arl Eamon approaching him.

"Your Majesty," said the old arl as he bowed to the king.

"Arl Eamon," answered the king as he made the arl a sign to have a seat on a chair near him.

"I would like to bring something of great importance to your attention, your Majesty," said the arl as he sat slowly on the chair.

"What is it, Eamon?" asked the king.

"Your Majesty, as you probably know, there is a very important person present here, at this celebration, an Antivian noble, a very reach tradesman. It would be very wise if your Majesty would find some time to discuss with him about the possibility of some trade routes between Ferelden and Antiva, " said the arl.

"I'll talk to him, but maybe later. I'm really not in a mood to discuss about trade routes right now, Eamon," said the king, sighing.

"There is something else, your Majesty. The tradesman is not alone… his daughter is also here and it would be very wise if your Majesty could dance with her… at least for one dance," said Eamon, smiling wickedly.

The king flinched, then his face turned all red, his eyes were now shooting fire at the arl.

"Damn it, Eamon! You're doing IT again! You're playing matchmaker with me AGAIN!" said the angry king, trying hard not to yell, because the kids were so close to them.

"Your Majesty, it's only one dance… think about how much profit it would bring..." said the arl, with greed in his eyes, but the king interrupted him.

"NO, Eamon!" yelled the king, but then he saw the children flinching because his yelling scarred them. He took a deep breath, tried hard to calm down, "No, Eamon, I'm not dancing with anybody's daughter anymore! I warned you not to interfere in my private life again, Eamon. You give me no choice! I dismiss you from your job as my adviser. You shall return to Redcliffe tomorrow morning. I want all your important papers on my desk TODAY, after this Celebration." said the king in a very determinate voice.

The arl sighed deeply, looked at the angry king."As you Majesty wishes. I'll go pack my things and I'll bring all the important papers in your office after the Celebration."

"Do so, Eamon, we shall meet there after the Celebration is over," said the king, while the arl was getting up and walked away from him.

'_I should have done this long time ago._' thought the king smiling and looking again at the children that were playing next to him.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

The Celebration was almost over and the people just started to leave the party.

Ela whispered something to Duncan, then Duncan whispered something to the king. The king nodded, then gave some orders to two guards men. Then, Ela smiled and ran fast to her mother.

"Mommy, may I go with Duncan to see the mabari hound puppies?" said Ela.

"If his Majesty allows us, sure. I'll come with you, dear," said Elissa.

"Duncan already asked him, he said that we can, but we have to take some men with armor and swords with us," said Ela.

"Alright, but I'm coming with you! You know, I once had a very loyal mabari, called Nero," said Elissa.

"I'm coming too, "said Anders from behind them.

Elissa, Anders and the children left the Landsmeet room, followed by two armed guards, heading for the kernels. But as they were approaching the Palace servants entrance, they saw an elf servant crying hard, sitting on his knees, with his hands on the ground.

"Why is this man crying, mommy?" asked Ela, worried.

"I don't know… let's ask him, dear," said Elissa and they all approached the servant.

Elissa cleared her throat. "Hello, what's wrong? Can we help you?" asked Elissa.

The elf servant flinched and then he raised his head to look at them.

"I'm… sorry … my lady… I didn't want to scare the children… I apologize," said the man hardly holding back his tears.

"You don't need to apologize, tell us what's wrong… maybe we can help you." said Elissa, calmly.

The servant sighed deeply. "It's my son… he's very ill and I couldn't find a healer with all the… celebration in the city," said the elf servant, calming down a little.

"My daddy is a great healer," said Ela, smiling at her father.

"Yes, I'm a healer," said Anders looking at the servant.

"But I don't want to disturb you..." said the servant.

"Nonsense, let's go! Where do you live?" said Anders.

"In the Alienage, my lord," said the servant smiling, with hope in his eyes.

"Then let's go quickly!" said Anders to the servant. "I'll be back soon, my two beautiful ladies," he said smiling at Elissa and Ela.

"My daddy is a very good healer!" said Ela to Duncan, smiling brightly, showing the boy how proud she was of her father.

After Anders left with the elf servant towards the Alienage, Elissa and the children continued their way to the kernels, followed by the guards.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

The Celebration was over and Fergus was just about to leave when Anora approached him slowly.

"Fergus," whispered Anora, getting closer to him.

"Get away from me, you crazy bitch!" yelled Fergus as he walked away from her.

"Fergus, we need to talk!" said Anora in a very determinate voice as she jumped in front of him and grabbed his hand.

Fergus quickly pulled his hand from hers and pushed her out of his way. "I don't have anything to talk to you, Anora!" he yelled.

"Come with me, we need to talk in private!" said Anora in a very determinate voice.

"NO! I won't risk any of your magical tricks!" yelled Fergus, walking away from her.

"It's about your sister, Fergus!" yelled Anora after him.

Fergus, stopped and turned to look at Anora. The woman smiled at him, bashed her eyelashes. "She's in great danger, Fergus," said Anora in a very worried voice.

Fergus, sighed, then took a deep breath. "Fine! We'll talk! But if you try anything, I swear to you I will kill you with my own hands, Anora!"

"Follow me, Fergus!" said Anora and left the Landsmeet room, followed by Fergus.

Anora led Fergus to a small empty dark room on the Palace's first floor. She lighted a candle as soon as she entered the room.

"Come in, Fergus," said Anora after she entered the room.

Fergus looked suspiciously at Anora, took a deep breath and entered the room after her.

"What you do want, Anora ?" said Fergus, who was standing now in front of Anora, with his back at the opened door.

Anora smiled. "I want YOU, of course, Fergus, my dear!"

"Damn you, crazy woman! We're done talking, I'm leaving!" said Fergus and then he turned to leave the room, but as soon as he tried moved, his whole body was suddenly stopped, by a sleep spell.

"Tie him and get him down quickly!" ordered Anora to three men that were standing in front of the door, one of them a Tevinter mage.

The men tied Fergus, then they opened the window and slowly got Fergus down, in a horse drawn carriage that was sitting just in front of the window.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Two cloaked men where sitting hidden in a corner of the Palace's hallway, not very far away from the king's office. The office was guarded by two armed warriors.

"Are you sure the king is in there?" whispered a man dressed in leather armor.

"Yes, I've seen him getting inside half an hour ago," answered a man dressed in servant cloths.

"Let's take the guards down," said the man in leather armor as he took out two crossbows from his pack then armed both of them. He took out a small flask from his pocket and covered the arrows with the liquid from the bottle, then he gave one of the crossbows to the other assassin.

Both assassins shoot at the same time, each one of them aiming for one of the guards. The guards fell down on the ground, making a small noise.

"Prepare the bomb!" said the man dressed in leather armor as he took out two daggers. He walked to the fallen guards and checked if they were dead.

"Throw the bomb in the king's office quickly!" said the man dressed in servant cloths, as he handed the other man a bomb.

The assassin opened the door to the office and quickly threw a bomb inside the room, then he closed the door. But as soon as the bomb exploded, the assassins heard a lot of noise on the hallway, like somebody was running in a heavy armor.

"Other guards are coming! Let's go! Quickly!" said the man wearing leather armor.

"Do you think you killed him with that bomb?" asked the man dressed in servant cloths.

"Nobody can survive _that_ explosion!" said the assassin dressed in leather armor.

Then, they both ran away from the king's office.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Leliana was walking alone through the Palace's hallway, heading from the guest room that had been assigned to her by the king's servants for the following night. As she opened the door, she heard a small noise behind her. She looked behind, but she didn't see anything. She entered the room and started to undress herself quickly. As soon as she was almost naked, the door opened slowly and a black-haired man wearing servant clothes entered, holding a dagger in his hand.

"Please don't kill me! I didn't do anything wrong! I swear!" said Leliana crying, standing naked in front of the assassin.

The man froze, his eyes were gloating hungrily at the beautiful naked woman in front of him.

"Pleaaase … I'll do anything!" said the woman crying.

The assassin bit his lip, while his eyes were exploring her beautiful body, then he smiled wickedly and closed the door behind him slowly. "Well, I suppose we could have some fun together!" said the man.

"I'll do anything… please!" said the naked woman again.

The man put the dagger on the floor and got closer to the woman, starting to touch her naked body. She stood there, letting him explore her body with his hands, while her eyes were staring at the dagger on the floor. He bended over her breasts, kissing them slowly. She took advantage of his distraction and kicked him hard with her knee in his stomach, then quickly grabbed the dagger and placed it to his throat.

"Who ordered you to kill me?" asked Leliana the assassin standing now on his knees, with the dagger at his throat.

"I… won't tell… you," he whispered.

"Then you die!" said Leliana and cut the man's throat.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

The king was sitting in his office alone, waiting for arl Eamon, when he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," he said.

Arl Eamon came in with his arms full of papers. He approached the king slowly, then placed the papers on the king's desk.

"Here are all my papers, the most important ones, your Majesty," said Eamon.

"Alright, have a seat Eamon, let's discuss a bit," said the king.

"Your Majesty, I want to apologize for interfering in your private life." said the arl, humbly.

"You're damn right, Eamon, you shouldn't have interfered! Never! I could have been a happily man now, married with the woman I love!" said the king angrily, as he jumped off his chair.

"I'm sorry, your Majesty," said the arl humbly.

"You're lucky I didn't order you executed, or even worse, killed you myself!" yelled the king as he was approaching the arl slowly.

The arl looked at the floor, humbly. "All I did was for the country, your Majesty!" whispered Eamon.

The king looked at the old man in front of him; he sighed deeply."I think I understand your reasons, Eamon..." but he didn't finish his sentence because the door opened suddenly and a man wearing a leather armor was standing in front of them, holding something in his hand.

The king and the arl looked at the strange man standing there, but the man quickly threw something inside the room and thrust back the door.

"It's a b-" yelled the arl as he pushed the king on the floor, flinging himself on the ground over Alistair's body, while a bomb was hitting the office's floor, making a powerful explosion.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Elissa and the children were playing with the mabari puppies in the Royal kernels, when suddenly she felt magic, somebody was casting a spell nearby.

"Anders, is that you? Are you making ice statues for the kids again?" said Elissa as she turned to see who was behind them.

But as soon as she turned, her body stopped, her eyes closed, she fell asleep, and so did both children. A Tevinter mage approached them slowly, followed by four men. The men tied the woman and the kids, then grabbed them in their arms and carried them away.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

A horse drawn carriage was running fast through Denerim's streets. Inside the carriage, a man was sitting with his hands and his legs tied next to a blond woman dressed in green. A mage dressed in Tevinter robes was also seated next to them.

"What are you up to this time, Anora? What magic trick are you trying to test on me now?" asked the man angrily.

"You're going to help me take back MY THRONE!" said Anora, smiling wickedly.

"You're throne? The king won't let you get away with this!" yelled Fergus.

"The king is dead, Fergus!" yelled Anora, smiling.

"You killed… you're totally crazy, woman!" yelled Fergus, his eyes full of horror.

"He killed my father in front of me!" yelled Anora, annoyed.

"You'd better tell your men to kill me NOW! I'm not going to help you with anything, Anora!" said Fergus, shooting fire with his eyes at Anora.

"Oh, Fergus, but you will… every man has his weakness, and I know what yours is: your little sister! My men just kidnapped her… and your little niece! " said Anora, calmly.

"Don't you dare touch them you crazy bitch!" yelled Fergus, his eyes full of worry.

"This is all your fault, Fergus, dear! Why can't you love me?" said Anora, calmly, bashing her eyelashes seductively.

"You're a MONSTER!" yelled Fergus, with disgust all over his face.

"No I'm NOT! I'm beautiful again, Fergus!" yelled Anora.

"I wasn't talking about the way you look, Anora!" yelled Fergus, shooting fire with his eyes at the woman dressed in green.

"Oh, Fergus, my dear..." she said calmly, while she was touching his face gently with her hand. She grabbed his chin slowly, "… if I'm a monster, then you're the one who created me!"

She tried to kiss him, but he quickly moved his head, avoiding her lips. She burst out laughing, then she pushed him away from her.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"


	16. The Demons Within

_Many thanks to all of you who wrote reviews and to all of you who subscribed to my story. _

**Chapter 16: The Demons Within**

"_Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing. Use the pain as fuel, as a reminder of your strength." - August Wilson_

After Anders had cured the sick elf child from the Alienage, he returned to the Palace alone. But as soon as he approached the Palace, he immediately realized that something was not quite alright. It was too quiet and there were no guards anywhere. As he entered the Palace, he saw the body of a guard on the floor. He ran fast to the body and checked if the guard was alive. Unfortunately, the guard was already dead. His heart froze as he thought about Elissa and Ela. He quickly tried to use his Warden skills to sense them both, but there was only one Warden in the building, a badly wounded one. Anders ran in the direction of the wounded Warden, but as soon as he almost reached the Warden's position, a guard stopped him, pointing a sword at his throat.

"Who are you? Are you one of the assassins?" said the guard as he placed his sword on Anders's chest.

"No, I'm Anders, I'm one of the guests," said Anders.

"How do I know you're not lying?" answered the guard, raising an eyebrow at Anders.

"It's alright, I know him!" said a read-headed woman that just got out from a room nearby.

"Leliana! Where are Elissa and Ela?" asked Anders, while the guard removed the sword from his chest.

"I… don't know, Anders. Look, the king is badly wounded, he needs your help fast, Anders!" said Leliana, worriedly.

Anders's heart froze, he closed his eyes and sighed. The thought of Elissa and Ela being dead overwhelmed him, but then he forced himself to stop thinking so pessimistically.

"Let's go then!" said Anders.

Anders followed Leliana in a room where the king was laid unconsciously in a bed. He studied the king's wounds.

"His wounds are very strange. What did this?" asked Anders.

"It was a bomb, a very powerful one, but we found him under arl Eamon's body. I think the arl had saved his life," said Leliana.

"I bet he did! The king's internal organs and head are intact. He has some nasty wounds on his arms and legs, he's lost a lot of blood, but he will live." said Anders.

"That's great news!" said Leliana.

"Have you checked the kernels for Elissa and the kids?" asked Anders.

"Yes, we did… they are gone, the guards are dead. I think somebody kidnapped them," answered Leliana.

"Why? Who would do this?" asked Anders desperately, closing his eyes and sighing deeply.

"I don't know, Anders. Somebody tried to kill the king and… me," said Leliana.

"You too? Why?" asked Anders, scarred.

Leliana wanted to answer Anders, but the king's moans interrupted their conversation.

"Ahhh, what… happened?" asked the king, hardly speaking.

"Somebody tried to assassinate you, my king," said Leliana.

"What?" said Alistair hardly speaking.

"Somebody threw a bomb in your office. Do you remember anything?" asked Leliana.

"I remember talking to Eamon… Maker, is Eamon..." said Alistair.

"I'm sorry, Alistair. Eamon is dead," said Leliana.

Alistair sighed deeply. "How badly wounded am I?" asked the king.

"You had some nasty wounds on your arms and legs, but I've managed to heal most of them, you've lost a lot of blood, but you will recover soon," said Anders. "You were lucky the arl's body had protected the rest of your body and your head."

Alistair took a big breath. "You mean… he saved my life?" said the king, then, he sighted deeply. "Where is Duncan?"

"Somebody kidnapped him Alistair… Elissa and Ela too," said Leliana.

The king's heart froze and he tried to jump from the bed, but the pain stopped him.

"You're not going anywhere, your Majesty! You're still wounded!" said Anders.

"But they have my SON!" tried Alistair to yell, but he didn't have enough power to do so.

"And my wife and daughter! Now stay still for a minute, I need to heal you again!" protested Anders.

Anders healed the king, then asked the guards to bring him some ingredients to make potions. After a few hours of more healing and some very powerful healing potions, the king was almost recovered and was standing now on his feet, giving orders to his guards.

Anders took a seat on a chair, tired and very worried.

"Damn it! I should have been there! I should have protected them!" whispered Anders.

The king heard Anders's words and turned to look at the mage.

"And where have _you_ been? I thought you went with them to the kernels." asked the king, raising an eyebrow.

"I was in the Alienage, to save a sick boy," answered Anders, in a very sad voice.

"Yeah, _sure_," said the king sarcastically.

"What do you mean, with '_yeah, sure_', king '_Grumpy_'?" said Anders, looking angrily at the king.

"You shouldn't have left them alone!" yelled the king.

"They had guards with them!" yelled Anders back.

"Well, if you would have been there, this wouldn't had happened!" said the king in a very harsh tone.

"What are you trying to imply? That I'm a bad husband and father because I went to cure a sick child? " asked Anders, annoyed.

"Maybe it was a _trap_!" yelled the king.

"Well, it was _not_!" yelled Anders back.

"How do you know?" asked the king, raising an eyebrow.

"The child was _really_ sick!" said Anders.

"That's not a good enough reason… you still shouldn't have left them! I wouldn't have left _them_!" said the king in a very harsh tone.

Anders looked at the angry king in front of him, raised an eyebrow, smiled wickedly. "Somebody's _jeeeeeaaaaalous_!" said the healer.

"No, I'm not!" yelled the king.

"You're a bad lair!" yelled Anders back.

"NO, I'm not!" yelled the king again.

"Yes you are! " yelled Anders back.

Then, they both stared at each other for a few minutes, not talking, only shooting fire at each other.

"You did not love _her_ enough!" yelled Anders suddenly.

"I did... " , said Alistair calmly, then he sighed, closed his eyes for a moment, while he was thinking hard._'... and I still do._' thought the king to himself.

"You broke her _heart_!" yelled Anders.

"I was a _fool_!" yelled Alistair back.

"You didn't even _try_ hard enough to see if you could have children together!" yelled Anders "There are so many fertility potions and... you just chose the easier way out for _you!_"

"Oh, I see... so did _you_ take advantage of these '_fertility potions_'?" said Alistair sarcastically, raising an eyebrow at the mage.

"No, I did not, but I _did_ work _haaaaaaard_… ", answered Anders smiling wickedly, "... if you know what _that_ means!" Anders winked at the king.

Alistair's face turned all red with anger. "I hate you _so_ much, _mage_!" yelled Alistair, shooting fire with his eyes at Anders.

"I hate you too, _templar_!" yelled Anders back, looking angrily at the king.

"Don't make me run my sword through you, _mage_!" yelled Alistair, placing his right hand on the pommel of his sword.

"Don't make me fry you, _templar_!" yelled Anders raising his hands, preparing to cast a lightening spell.

Leliana, who had been watching both men argue like two angry roosters, finally decided to interfere and placed herself between. "Boys, boys! Calm down! I think we should focus our energy on finding Elissa and the children!" said the read-headed bard.

Both men calmed down, Alistair raised his hand from the sword, and Anders stopped the casting of the spell. They both sat down on the bed, thinking hard.

After a few minutes of silence, Anders decided to speak again. "Well, I think I should thank you for persuading the Grand Cleric to let me and Elissa marry," he said calmly ,"... and for that decree that stopped the Chantry from taking the babies from their mage parents."

"You're welcome, although I didn't do it for _you_!" answered Alistair, in a calm voice.

Anders smiled. "Yeah, I know this, but thank you anyway!" he said calmly.

"You should have seen the Grand Cleric's face when I changed the law about the babies... _priceless_!" said Alistair, calmly and smiling too.

"Yes, I would have liked to see that _hag_ all pissed off!" said Anders, laughing.

"Hey! You're not that bad! I think I'm starting to like you, Anders. I'll put you on my most favorite mages list, after Wynne, of course." said the king, smiling at Anders.

"Hmm, that's very nice of you! Well, I'll put you on my most favorite templars list, after Elissa, of course." answered Anders, smiling back.

"Fain enough! Thanks for healing me! I think I owe you now!" said Alistair.

"Uh, really? Then can I ask you a favor?" asked Anders.

"If it's in my power... sure." answered Alistair.

"Can you… execute that hag… the Grand Cleric?" asked Anders.

The king smiled. "Well, it _is_ in my power, but I'd need a _very very_ good reason for this ." he winked at Anders.

"Then let's find _that_ very very good reason, shall we?" said Anders, winking back.

"I like the way you think, Anders! But I'd better intimidate her a few more times… to see that priceless face again!" said Alistair, laughing.

"Uh, can I watch?" asked Anders.

"Sure," answered Alistair.

"Then it's a deal," said Anders, and then both men bust out laughing.

Leliana watched surprised how the two men in front of her were now behaving like they had been best friends ever, when only a few minutes ago they had tried to kill each other. She looked at them and she hardly hold back the giggling. They were so alike! And they also resembled each other so much!

_'Now I know why you married Anders, Elissa.' _thought Leliana, giggling.

A royal guard interrupted the king and the mage conversation.

"Your Majesty, there is an elf here, he wants to talk with you," said the guard as he entered the room.

"Bring him here," said the king.

The guard bowed to the king and then left the room. After a few minutes, a blond elf entered the room, surrounded by four guards.

"Zevran!" yelled the king.

"Your Majesty," said Zevran as he bowed to the king.

"It's alright men, I know him, you may leave us alone," said the king to the guards and then he made them a sign to leave the room.

"I'm sorry for coming so late, your Majesty. I've found out only a few hours ago about this attend on your life. " said Zevran, sadly.

"You know who is behind this?" asked Alistair.

"Yes, somebody payed the Crows a lot of money," said Zevran.

"Who?" asked Leliana.

"Anora McTir," said Zevran, looking at Leliana.

"Do you know anything about Elissa and the children ?" asked Anders.

"Anora's men kidnapped them… and Fergus too," said Zevran.

"I should have executed her when I had the chance! Where did she take them? Do you know?" yelled the king, turning all red with anger.

"Yes, I know where. She has a residence at Dragon's Peak," said Zevran.

"That's six hours on horse from here! Let's go, men!" yelled the king and started to give orders to his guards.

The king gathered all his remaining royal guards, plus some more men who already arrived from the Denerim's garrison and, together with Anders, Leliana and Zevran, they left for Dragon's Peak.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

After almost six hours of horse riding, the king and his army arrived at Anora's residence from Dragon's Peak. It was a small castle, surrounded by trees, near a small lake. There was a thick mist around the castle and the forest, as it was early in the morning.

"It looks very quiet," said the king.

"Too quiet," answered Zevran, "there are assassins hidden behind the trees. I've just seen one."

"I've seen two," said Leliana.

"I haven't seen anyone," said Anders.

"You're not a rogue, Anders," said Zevran, smiling.

"They are five in total," said Leliana.

"Yes, five, two on the left and three on the right," confirmed Zevran.

"I'll take down those two on the left", said Leliana as she took out her bow and armed it ,"Anders, shoot a fire ball in that direction," she said pointing at a twin oak tree.

Leliana immediately killed an assassin with her poisonous arrow, then Anders's fireball took down another one, while the king's archers shut in the direction of the other three assassins.

"It's safe now," said the captain of the guards to the king, after the men secured the area.

"Good, let's get in, then," said the king.

"Wait, let me and Leliana go first, to open the gates," said Zevran.

"Good idea," said Leliana, smiling at Zevran.

The king nodded. Then, the two rogues disappeared into the mist and after a few minutes, the castle's gates were opened. The king entered the castle, followed by his small army.

"I sense two Wardens inside the castle. Thank the Maker, they are alive!" said Anders.

"I sense them too," said Alistair after he used his Warden skills to detect Elissa and Ela. Suddenly, a strong feeling of fear overwhelmed him. Sure, he was scared for Elissa, Ela and Duncan lives, but this was different… it didn't seam like his fear… it seamed stronger, like someone who was in immediate danger.

'_Maker! It's Elissa's fear that I sense!_' though the king.

"She's very scared, I can feel it," said the king to Anders, in a worried voice.

"You can feel it… how?" asked Anders, surprised.

"I think I can sense her strongest emotions, maybe it's a Warden thing?" said Alistair.

"No, it's not! I never sensed her feelings!" said Anders, frustrated.

"I wish I could sense Duncan, too, but he's not a Warden," said the king.

They were attacked by a few of Anora's guards, but the king's men easily dispatched them. After a few more fights, they arrived in a huge library, were a mage was expecting them. The mage was wearing Tevinter robes, his hands were moving in the air. He was casting a spell. Ten demons of different kinds immediately appeared, through a tear in the veil that had been created by the Tevinter mage.

The king's men fought the demons, but as soon as they killed them, others came and soon they were overwhelmed by them. There was a difficult fight, many of the king's men died. Some of the demons also attached the Tevinter mage.

Zevran sneaked behind the mage, placed his dagger at the mage's throat. "Seal the rift now, or I'll cut your throat!" whispered the assassin into the mage's ear.

"I… can't! Something is blocking it from inside!" said the Tevinter mage after he moved his hands, trying to cast a spell.

"Anders, can't you do it?" yelled the king, after he just killed a reverent.

"No, I don't know how!" yelled Anders back.

More demons came through the opening and they killed them too after a few moments of fight.

"A mage must go inside, into the Fade, to unblock the opening. I have enough lyrium to send you in." said the Tevinter mage as he looked at Anders.

"And why should we trust you?" said the king.

The Tevinter mage sighed, "I'm sorry, I didn't want this to happen… I didn't want to harm people… she made me, Anora. I felt sorry for her condition and also guilty… and I helped her," said the mage in a very sad voice, almost crying.

"I guess we don't have any other choice, do we?" stated Anders.

"I don't trust him," said Leliana, looking suspiciously at the mage.

"We cannot last longer, if more demons come out, we'll be overwhelmed again," said Zevran.

"Just tell me what to do when I'm inside," said Anders.

"Kill whatever is blocking the opening, it must be a demon. Then, come back quickly and I'll seal the veil," said the Tevinter mage.

"Alright, let's do this," said Anders.

"Are you sure, Anders?" asked the king.

"No, but I don't see any other way," said Anders sadly, then he sighed deeply."Alistair, please take care of Elissa and Ela, in case I won't return." said the healer.

"Don't say that! You'll come back!" said Alistair.

"Just promise me, Alistair." said Anders.

"I promise you Anders, I'll take good care of them." said Alistair.

"Thanks. Bye now," said Anders as he approached the other mage. "I'm ready" said Anders and then the Tevinter mage started to perform the ritual that connected Anders to the Fade.

They waited for almost half an hour; no more demons came through the portal anymore, but neither did Anders.

"Alistair, I think you and I should take some of the guards and go find Elissa and the children... and Fergus too", said Leliana.

Alistair sighed and nodded. "Yes, Zevran can remain here with most of the guards, in case…", he sighed ,"... let's go!"

Alistair and Leliana left the library, followed by a few guards, leaving Zevran in charge of the rest of the king's men.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"


	17. Bittersweet Revenge

_Many thanks to all of you who wrote reviews and to all of you who subscribed to my story. _

**Chapter 17: Bittersweet Revenge**

"_Revenge, at first though sweet, Bitter ere long back on itself recoils."- John Milton, 'Paradise Lost'_

It was early in the morning; the sun just started to rise above Anora's castle from Dragon's Peak, clearing slowly the heavy mist that was surrounding it. A blond beautiful woman was standing in the castle's biggest guest room, looking at a chestnut-haired man that was tied to a chair. A mage dressed in Tevinter robes was standing in a corner of the room.

"My dear Fergus… I've almost forgotten how handsome you are… after four years of hiding inside my castle," said the woman, touching Fergus's face gently.

"I was _so_ happy without you Anora. Why did you have to show up again?" said Fergus, sarcastically.

Anora laughed, then touched his lips with one of her fingers. "Because I love you, my dear Fergus," she said, bashing her long eyelashes and smiling seductively.

"This is not love, Anora! This is obsession, sickness… madness!" said Fergus, with disgust allover his face.

"It's all your fault. The more you reject me, the more I want you, my dear Fergus," said Anora, calmly.

"Just stop the 'cat and mouse play' and tell me what's your plan with me, Anora!" yelled Fergus.

"Well, Fergus… first we shall marry!" she said smiling.

"NEVER!" yelled Fergus.

"Have I mentioned I have your sister and your little niece?" said Anora, smiling.

"Don't you dare touch them, you crazy bitch!" yelled Fergus.

"Such a bad language… not very appropriate for a future king, my dear," she said, raising an eyebrow.

"You want to make me king? Why?" said Fergus very surprised.

"Because I shall be your queen! Don't worry, you won't have to do anything… you won't really be king, just my pet!" said Anora, smiling wickedly.

"Why can't you be queen without me? Leave me alone… and my sister and niece," asked Fergus.

"I could… but most of the nobles would vote for you as the next king, I'm on the second position, my reputation has got a little low since my sickness. If we marry, then everybody will have to agree to the idea of both of us ruling together. It's just so… _perfect_!" said Anora very happy about her perfect plan.

"I want to see my sister and my niece, I want to know you did not harm them." said Fergus, worried.

"Of course, let the games begin, then! Bring them here!" said Anora, and she made a sign with her hand to the mage standing close to them.

The mage got out of the room and, after a few minutes, he came back followed by a woman, a little girl and a little boy. The woman and the children were looking very scared and were holding each-others hands. They were surrounded by four armed men.

"Elissa, Ela! Are you alright?" yelled Fergus, looking worriedly at the woman and the children.

"I'm… fine, Fergus. The children are very scared," said Elissa, having her heart in her mouth. She was very scared, and when she saw Anora looking so coldly at them, her heart froze.

'_This heartless woman is really capable of anything! She would even kill little children to get what she wants!_' thought Elissa, feeling her heart beating out of her chest. She felt so scared and helpless… she wished she could do something, but she was unarmed and surrounded by four heavily armed warriors. It was an impossible situation, she closed her eyes and started to pray to the Maker to help them. And then she felt it… that familiar feeling… Wardens, two of them, close to her.

'_Anders must be here! And Alistair too... maybe?_' she thought.

"I feel Wardens, Mommy. I think it's Daddy!" whispered Ela in Elissa's ear.

"I feel them too, sweetheart. Just don't tell the bad lady." whispered Elissa back, discretely.

Ela nodded, then got closer to Duncan and whispered in his ear "Don't worry, Duncan. My Daddy is here! And I think your Daddy is here too!"

Duncan nodded to her and smiled sadly.

"So you see now that I really have them, I'm not bluffing, Fergus, my dear," said Anora turning to look at Fergus again, then she looked at the mage. "Why didn't you kill the king's boy, Thomas? I don't need him!" yelled the former queen.

"My lady, I cannot kill a little boy… maybe you could spare him… please, he's innocent," said the mage, sadly.

"He's the _heir_ to the throne!" yelled Anora looking at the mage with anger in her eyes.

"Wait, Anora," said Fergus,"… don't do it! I'll marry you, just leave the boy alone! Maybe we could adopt him… he _is_ of Theirin blood, think about this, Anora!" said Fergus in a very determinate voice.

Anora smiled, then turned again to look at Fergus. "That's _really_ very wise of you, Fergus, my dear. I think the nobles will love us if we would adopt the Theirin heir. It could make our claim to the throne stronger. So, you're _really_ going to marry me, Fergus? See, that wasn't _so_ hard!" said Anora happy that her plan was going just the way she wanted.

Fergus sighed. "Just don't hurt Elissa and the children, Anora," said Fergus feeling defeated.

A man wearing a leather armor entered the room in a hurry; he bowed to Anora. "My lady, we are under attack! And we are overwhelmed! The king's army is here!" said the man.

"The king is dead, you said you killed him… and how did they know where we are?" asked Anora, surprised.

"No, he's not dead, my lady", said the man.

Anora froze, she stood still for a few moments then turned all red and yelled angrily at the man. "You said you killed the king!"

"I'm sorry, my lady, I thought I did, I threw a powerful bomb in his office. He was in there, I don't know how he survived, he should have been dead now, " said the man, frightened by the angry woman in front of him.

"You incompetent fool! Why didn't you check to see if he was dead after the explosion?" asked Anora in a very angry voice.

"I had no time… other guards were coming", whispered the man.

Anora stood silent for a few moments, thinking hard, then she looked at the mage."Stop them, Thomas!" yelled Anora.

The mage flinched, looked at Anora with fear in his eyes."I don't want to kill people, Anora." whispered the mage.

"You won't, the demons will do it for us, Thomas." said Anora in a very determinate voice.

"It's the same thing!" said the mage.

"Damn it, Thomas! You cannot make an omelet without breaking some damned eggs! We need to succeed, or we'll be dead. You will be dead!" yelled Anora, then she calmed down and got closer to the mage. She touched his face gently smiling seductively at him. "Do you think the king will spare you, Thomas? It's too late to turn back now, Thomas dear. It's either _them_ or _us_! So do as I say and everything will be just as I planned. We'll have to repair what that incompetent Crow ruined. You have to kill the king, Thomas. Whatever the cost!" said Anora in a very determinate voice.

The mage sighed deeply."I… I think I have no other choice now, do I?" he said.

Anora smiled sadly at him. "Only death, my dear Thomas. Only death!"

The mage sighed again and then left the room.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Alistair was running on the castle's hallway, followed by Leliana and a few royal guards. He felt Elissa's fear getting stronger. She and Ela were close, he forced himself to run faster in their direction, but the heavy armor was making running difficult. He was scared and he was praying to the Maker that Duncan would be alive too. He couldn't bear the thought of losing Duncan, his little boy. Soon, they got in front of a door, Elissa and Ela were inside, he could feel them. He drew his sword and made a sign to Leliana and his men to drew their weapons too. He opened the door violently, pushing it with his heavy boot and got inside quickly, followed by Leliana and the royal guards. They were immediately attacked by four heavily armed warriors. Behind them, Alistair saw Elissa holding both children in her arms. He also saw Fergus tied to a chair behind Elissa and the children and a blond woman running through a hidden door. The king and his men quickly surrounded the armed warriors.

"Surrender and I shall be merciful," said the king to Anora's guards.

The guards surrendered immediately and Alistair ran to Elissa and the children. He embraced them all, while Leliana was releasing Fergus.

"Are you alright?" said Alistair to Elissa and the children.

"I'm fine, daddy. Ela said that you will come", said Duncan.

"Where is my daddy?" asked Ela.

"He's close, Ela", said Alistair.

"Where is he, Alistair?" asked Elissa.

"It's complicated… he's in the library," said Alistair, looking at the floor, avoiding her eyes.

"Anora escaped through a secret passage! Give me a sword! I want to follow her!" yelled Fergus, interrupting Elissa and Alistair's conversation.

Alistair gave Fergus his spare sword. Elissa looked suspiciously at Alistair and, as soon as Leliana approached them, she asked her to take care of the children and dragged Alistair in a corner of the room.

"What happened with Anders, Alistair? You're hiding something from me!" she asked worriedly.

"A mage summoned demons through a rift in the Fade, we hardly defeated them. Something was keeping the rift opened from inside. The mage couldn't seal it, so he sent Anders into the Fade to kill whatever was blocking the passage," said Alistair looking at the floor.

Elissa closed her eyes, used her Warden skills to detect other Wardens, but she could sense only the two Wardens next to her: Alistair and Ela.

"I cannot feel him, Alistair! Where is the library?" she said, scared.

"Left, then right, then left again. I can take you there," he answered.

"Take care of Ela," she said as she quickly took a sword from one of the guards and ran out of the room.

"Leliana, please take care of the children. Guards, remain here, protect the children," ordered Alistair and ran after Elissa.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Anora was running on the castle's hallway, as she had just managed to escape through a secret passage. Fergus was following her, but she was running faster than him. She reached her office, locked the door behind her, then stood there, with her back at the door, her eyes closed and tried to focus. Her heart was beating very fast, her chest was almost exploding. Her whole body started to tremble and she could not control it anymore.

She stood there for a few moments. Her mouth was dry, she felt thirsty. She took a bottle of sweet Orlesian wine and an empty glass from a cabinet and sat down at her desk. She poured herself a glass full of sweet red wine and drank it slowly, thinking about how she had failed.

Her plan had been perfect, she had so much time to think about it, she had been so sure that she would succeed. But things did not go the way she wanted, the Maker hadn't been on her side. She cursed the Maker for ruining her plan. The king had survived the attend on his life. The Crows had failed, their reputation be damned! And Alistair somehow found out that she had been behind this… she couldn't understand how, she had payed the Crows so much money to be discrete. She had easily manipulated that Tevinter mage Thomas; he was weak and in love with her and she knew how to use that in her advantage. He had helped her recover from the site effects of that potion, first because he felt sorry for her and also guilty, but then he had remained as her loyal puppy just because he was in love with her.

She poured herself another glass of wine. She raised her head and looked at her father's portrait which was hanging on a wall on her right.

"Soon, Father, soon," said Anora, raising the glass full of wine.

She drank the wine slowly thinking about her father. She wanted to avenge him, she loved her father, he didn't deserve to be executed like that, in the middle of the nobles, in the Landsmeet chamber, by the bastard prince, in front of her! And she had also lost her throne, her power that day, after her father's death. The bastard prince had taken everything from her!

'_He deserved to die! He killed my father! He stole my Throne!' _thought the former queen as she closed her eyes and a few tears fell down on her cheeks.

"I've failed you, Father," said Anora as she opened her eyes and drank again from the glass of wine.

Somebody was knocking hard at the door. "Open the door, Anora!", yelled an angry man behind the locked door.

It was Fergus. He was there to kill her. She closed her eyes and sighed. When did it go so wrong? Why couldn't he love her? She was beautiful, intelligent… why? Other tears fell from eyes. She opened her eyes and smiled sadly, as she realized that she had just dug her own grave. Fergus would kill her! She took a small flask from one of the desk's drawers and poured all the liquid into the glass with sweet wine.

She looked again at her father's portrait."Soon Father, soon", said the former queen as she raised the glass in the air. "Soon I shall join you, Father," said Anora and drank up the all bittersweet liquid from the glass.

As Fergus entered the office, after he had finally broken the door, he saw Anora sitting at her desk with a sad smile on her face; her eyes were full of tears. She closed her eyes and never opened them again, as the bittersweet poison had already stopped the beating of her heart.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"


	18. Maker's Will

_Many thanks to all of you who wrote reviews and to all of you who subscribed to my story. _

_**The following chapter contains tragedy. Be warned!**_

**Maker's Will**

"_Lord, grant me the strength to accept the things I cannot change, _

_the courage to change the things I can, _

_and the wisdom to know the difference." - St. Francis_

As Anders entered the Fade, he was greeted by two desire demons that were standing there, close to the entrance, like they had been expecting him.

"Well, well, look who's coming! My sweet mage! I've missed you, my dear!" said one of the demons smiling to Anders, then it started to take Elissa's form.

"Hey, you're the demon from my dreams!" said Anders, surprised.

"Yes, it's me, dear, I told you that we'll meet again, sweet mage", whispered the Elissa-demon.

"You look like you've been expecting me!" said Anders.

"You just fell into our little trap, sweet mage!" said the other demon.

"And you've found a friend! How nice of you!"said Anders, looking at the other desire demon.

The other desire demon smiled at Anders, then shifted to Alistair's form.

"She's found an ally, mage!" said the Alistair-demon.

"Really? And who are you?" asked Anders, raising an eyebrow.

The Alistair-demon smiled wickedly at Anders, taking on Elissa's form for a few moments only to shape-shift again into Alistair.

"I'm _their_ demon. I'm Alistair and Elissa's demon." said the Alistair-demon.

"Really? You're _their_ demon? I've never heard of such a thing… maybe you're a confused demon… you didn't decide yet which form you want to have?" said Anders in a sarcastic tone.

The Alistair-demon laughed. "Their souls are connected, tied together by the Maker Himself. I was feasting on their delicious desire for each other for almost a year, tormenting both their dreams… feeding on both of them at the same time… until you showed up, mage. You ruined _everything_!" said the Alistair-demon.

"I've told you not to interfere with them, sweet mage! He's a very powerful demon, my friend here! You should have listened to me, you should have accepted my offer!" said the Elissa-demon.

"Oh, please, let's just prepare for battle, shall we?" said Anders as he started to cast a spell.

"You cannot win this fight, sweet mage! Just listen to our offer!" said the Elissa-demon.

"I don't make deals with demons!" yelled Anders.

"We shall break you and then I shall make you mine, sweet mage. Then my friend here will possess your beautiful wife!" said the Elissa-demon.

"Never!" yelled Anders.

"I shall torment you until you'll accept me inside you, sweet mage!" said the Elissa-demon.

"I'd rather die!" he said.

"I don't want to kill you!" said the Elissa-demon.

"I won't let you!" said Anders.

"Let my friend inside you and I shall spear your beautiful wife, I shall possess Alistair instead!" said the Alistair-demon.

"No!" said Anders.

"If you die, then my friend here will _still_ get out and possess your wife, sweet mage. Listen to me, make the deal! Let me inside you, I promise I won't harm you, we shall bound and I shall see the world of the living through your eyes." said the Elissa-demon.

"I don't like this '_bonding_' idea!" said Anders.

"Or my friend here can hold you while I possess you forcefully, but this will hurt… badly, let me in willingly and I promise you won't feel a thing." said the Elissa-demon.

Anders looked at the two desire demons in front of him. They were both very powerful, he could feel their strength. And there were two of them. He could defeat one, but two of them at the same time, hardly.

"You said this was a trap?" asked Anders, trying to buy some more time to think about a solution.

"Yes, we've made a deal with Thomas, the mage that sent you in. We gave him a cure for Anora's sickness. He was supposed to capture you too and deliver you to us, but I think he tried to double-cross us! So, we watched and waited for him to tear the Veil. Then, we blocked the opening, knowing he would have to send you in to unblock it. I don't think he realized exactly what he did!" said the Alistair-demon, laughing.

Anders took a deep breath and thought hard about his options _'They can possess me forcefully… but I cannot __simply_ _let them!' _He stared at the two demons in front of him. '_There is only one way out of this situation._' thought Anders and prepared to cast a spell.

"I guess he wants to fight!" said the Elissa-demon, preparing to attack Anders.

"Such a waste," said the Alistair-demon.

But Anders's spell did not attack the demons, he aimed for the portal that was linking the Fade to the world of the living. He destroyed the exit, sealing the rift into the Veil from inside.

"What have you done, sweet mage? Now you're trapped here, too!" said the Elissa-demon.

"And now that you're of no use to us, we'll just kill you!" said the Alistair-demon.

"You can definitely try!" said Anders, preparing to cast another spell.

'_He will take care of them! He promised me!_' thought Anders, as he worried about Elissa and Ela.

The demons transformed into their natural shape and started to attack.

"Leave him alone, demons!" said a spirit shaped in the form of a warrior, who appeared suddenly from behind the demons.

"He's ours! Don't interfere, spirit!" said one of the desire demons.

"This is not your business, spirit!" said the other desire demon.

"Leave him or die, demons!" yelled the warrior-spirit.

"Justice, is that you?" asked Anders as he recognized the voice.

"Yes, it's me Anders!" said Justice to Anders, as he placed himself between the mage and the demons.

"Why are you protecting this sweet mage, spirit?" asked one of the desire demons.

"The Maker sent me. It is His will. Leave of die, demons!" yelled Justice as he drawn his weapon.

The demons got closer to each other, whispered something to one another for a few moments, then they both turned to look at Justice again.

"Very well, then, we shall leave." said one of the demons and then they both disappeared.

"Uh, thanks, Justice!" said Anders, smiling to the spirit warrior in front of him.

"You're welcome. Now follow me, the Maker is expecting you." said Justice as he started to walk into the Fade.

"Really? The Maker? Why? Is he going to send me back?" asked Anders surprised, while he was following Justice through the Fade.

"Yes, the Maker, and no, Anders, you're not going back," said Justice.

Anders stopped, his heart froze. "You mean that… I'm dead?" asked Anders.

"Yes, for the mortals outside you are already dead. I'm sorry Anders!" said Justice.

Anders closed his eyes and sighed deeply, then followed Justice through the Fade.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

A woman was running fast through the castle's hallway, holding a sword in her right hand. Behind her, a warrior wearing heavy armor was following, hardly managing to keep pace with her.

'_Pain, deep pain. Worry. She's afraid that he's dead. Despair. She loves him. Pain again. Hope. Pure hope. She must be praying now, I should pray too. Maker, please Maker, don't let him die!' _thought Alistair, while he was following Elissa on the way to the library.

They were very close to the library. They were suddently stopped by a group of royal guards that were standing on the hallway.

"My king!" said one of the royal guards, bowing.

"What happened?" asked Alistair breathing heavily.

"The Tevinter mage… he tried to escape. Something strange happened… the rift sealed itself from inside. The mage tried to take advantage of this distraction; he attacked us and ran away. Some men are following him right now." said one of the guards.

"And Anders; what about him?" asked Elissa.

The guard sighed deeply."My lady… he's… with the Maker now, I'm sorry, my lady!" said the quard.

Elissa dropped the sword on the ground, quickly pushed the guard out of her way and ran into the library. As soon as she entered, she saw Anders's body laid on a couch. She ran to him and checked his heart beat. She listened to his chest for a few moments, but there was silence, as his heart had already stopped. She closed her eyes and screamed his name… but he did not answer. She knelled in front of the couch and started to cry.

Alistair followed her inside and made a sign to the guards to leave them alone in the library. He felt her deep pain; it was overwhelming him. He started to cry too, then he knelled near Elissa and placed an arm around her shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Elissa!" whispered Alistair.

She slowly moved her head to his chest, crying harder. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, holding her closer to his chest, crying harder too. She cried for a few moments, then opened her eyes, raised her head and looked curiously at him.

"Why are _you_ crying so hard?" she asked.

"I can feel your pain," he said.

"That's sweet of you, but you didn't know him so well," she answered.

"No, but I can _really_ fell all your pain, it's so deep... I cannot stop crying," he said.

Then, she placed her head on his chest again and continued to cry.

When Zevran entered the room, after he had chased and killed the Tevinter mage, he was very surprised to find Alistair and Elissa knelled in front of the couch where Anders's body had been laid, both crying in each others arms.

"_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"_

_Justice and Anders walked in the Fade for some time, until they reached a big closed wooden door, decorated with some ancient symbols. _

"_Go inside, Anders. The Maker is expecting you." said Justice._

_Anders opened the door and stepped inside. It was a huge, almost endless room, without windows or other doors. The room was empty, except for a round, shining energy form located near the entrance._

"_Hello … Maker." said an angry Anders looking at the glowing of energy._

"_Hello, Anders." answered the entity in a loud voice, followed by an echo._

_Anders looked at the entity in front of him. "So, Maker, why did you do it? WHY did you KILL ME?" yelled the mage._

"_I'm sorry Anders, this is how the story… I mean the destiny had been written." the entity replied in a calm voice._

"_But I was so happy with Elissa and Ela!" answered Anders back._

_The voice made a deep sigh and then continued to speak in a sad voice. "Well, life is not fair! It has ups and downs, good and evil, joy and sorrow… both life and death." the entity sighed again. "Look, Anders, at least you had spent five wonderful years with you Elissa and four with Ela. I'm so sorry, Anders! I promise to write a special story with a happy ending just for you! This is supposed to be an Elissa and Alistair happy ending story."_

_Anders sighed too. "I see… so I was **expendable**, I've used me as a 'tool' to bring tragedy into your story… You're such an horrible person!" he yelled to the entity._

"_I'm sorry, Anders. This is not a fairy tale… it's a drama… death just… happens!" said the entity in a calm, but sad voice._

"_I hate you, Maker!" yelled Anders._

_The entity sighed deeply."You have all the right in the world to hate me, Anders. I'm sorry again!" The entity sighed again."But I'll make it up to you, I'll start writing your happy ending story just after I finish this one, Anders. I promise you this!" said the entity, its voice all sad._

"_You'd better speed it up… because I want **my** happy ending story soon!" said Anders._

"_I'll do my best, Anders!" answered the entity in a loud voice, followed by an echo. _

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

_**A/N :** I'm so sorry for killing Anders in this chapter… I really am! I know he didn't deserve this, he's a good guy! Please don't hate me too much! There is another story, branched from this one, with this chapter rewritten so that Anders doesn't die: '**Destiny Rewritten-Swimming against the Stream**'._


	19. Tied by Destiny

_Many thanks to all of you who wrote reviews and to all of you who subscribed to my story. _

**Chapter 19: Tied by Destiny**

"_Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies. "~ _Aristotle

The king's party was on the way back to Denerim. They had burned to ground Anora's castle from Drakon's Peak. Alistair, Elissa, Ela and Duncan were sitting in a horse-drawn carriage surrounded by many royal guards. Leliana and Fergus were riding behind their carriage. There was another horse-drawn carriage in the back, a smaller one, caring Anders's lifeless body. After an hour, the children fell asleep as they were very tired. Alistair and Elissa laid them close to each other, on one of the carriage's bench, wrapped them with a blanket, then, they sat on the other bench, face to face with the children.

"Can you explain to me how is it that you can feel what I feel, Alistair?" whispered Elissa to Alistair.

"I don't know how, all I know is that I felt your fear and your pain; very strong emotions," answered Alistair.

"Very strange," she said.

"Yes, very strange indeed. I remember having some strange powerful feelings just before you gave birth to Ela, but I didn't realize it then," said Alistair.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yes, I remember that the next day the Grand Cleric payed me a visit, telling me that you just gave birth just the other day," he whispered back.

"Wow, you remembered that? The Grand Cleric?" asked Elissa.

"Yes, it was very strange, that's why I remembered it. She came to me to ask for my permission to take away Ela from you by force," said Alistair starting to smile,"I've gave her a lesson, you should have seen her face. Pricel-" he froze his sentence, as he suddenly remembered his discussion with Anders and how he had promised the mage that he would intimidate the Grand Cleric in front of him. He immediately turned very sad, remembering Anders' death and the promise he would never be able to fulfill.

"Alistair..." said Elissa.

"Yes..." answered Alistair, his face all sad.

"Why did you become suddenly so sad?" she asked.

"Oh, I guess it's written allover my face… well, I've just remembered a promise that I would never be able to fulfill," he answered.

"Alistair… I felt it… I think it works both ways… I can feel your strongest emotions too," said Elissa.

"Really? I think this is really… strange, even creepy! Then I think I should think about something nice, I don't want to make you sad too!" he said.

"Let's play a little game, do you feel my feelings now?" said Elissa as she emptied her mind from any emotion.

"No, nothing," he said.

"How about now." she said thinking about how happy she had felt when Ela was born.

"Happiness, pure, genuine happiness!" he said smiling.

"Wow, that's right!" she said smiling too.

They just sat there for a few minutes, just staring suspiciously at each other and not saying a word.

"I want to help you, Elissa. Let me take care of the funeral and everything," said Alistair suddenly.

"Thanks, Alistair, but you have so much trouble already." she said.

"Nonsense, we're friends, just let me help you!" said Alistair.

"Alright, thanks," said Elissa smiling.

Then, they both stood silent trying to get a few hours of sleep for rest of the way back to Denerim.

As soon as they arrived in Denerim, the king started to organize the funeral. He took care of everything and the funeral ceremony had been the most grandiose ever! People said that it was a funeral worthy of a hero of Ferelden!

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

_Ela was running through a field full of beautiful flowers. The sun was shining, a light wind was blowing. A blond man with a ponytail, wearing mage robes, was running her way. _

"_Daddy!" yelled Ela._

"_Ela, my sweetheart!" yelled Anders._

_They hugged each other and Anders took Ela in his arms. "Don't worry, sweaty, Daddy is alright."_

"_Mommy said that you are with the Maker now. Why did he had to take you away from us?" asked Ela._

"_Yes, sweaty, she's right. I'm with the Maker now, I'll explain it you, when you'll get older. Daddy is fine, I'll always be here whenever you'll go to sleep thinking about me."said Anders._

"_I'm so glad that I've found you here, Daddy!" said Ela very happily._

"_I'll be here anytime you want to see me, sweaty. I'm you guardian spirit; Daddy is going to teach you how to be a good mage." said Anders, smiling._

"_A mage, Daddy?" asked Ela._

"_Yes, sweaty, you're a mage, just like me!"answered Anders._

"_Wow, I'm so happy! I want to make ice statues Daddy!" said Ela very enthusiastically._

"_Well, I will teach you that too, Ela." said Anders smiling._

"_Can I bring Mommy here with me, Daddy?" asked Ela._

"_No, Ela, she's not a mage like us, but please tell her that I'm fine and that she should stop worrying about me!" answered Anders._

"_Yes, Daddy!"said Ela, happily._

"_Now, let's see... what should I teach you first?" said Anders, thinking hard._

"_Ice statues!" said Ela very enthusiastically._

"_Well, that's a little difficult… we should start with something simple," said Anders smiling._

_Then, the two mages chatted for some minutes and Anders started to teach Ela the basics of magic._

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Ela woke up very happily and ran into her mother's room, which was very close to hers.

"Mommy, Mommy!" said Ela very happily.

"What happened, sweaty?" said Elissa waking up worried; her eyes were all red from the tears that she had cried last night, after Anders's funeral.

"I saw Daddy in my dream! He told me he is with the Maker now and that he's alright. He said that you should stop worrying about him. And I'm a mage, just like him, Mommy!" said Ela very happily.

"You dreamed about Daddy, sweaty?" asked Elissa very surprised.

"Yes, he was in a field full of beautiful flowers, Mommy!" said Ela.

'_Maker! Maybe it was demon!_' thought Elissa and her heart froze instantly, feeling very worried for her daughter.

"And did he had dark eyes, sweaty? Did he want anything from you?" said Elissa in a very worried voice.

"No, Mommy! Daddy told me about the bad things with dark eyes; he said he will protect me from them. He'll teach me how to be a good mage, Mommy!" said Ela.

_'Or maybe it was really Anders!' _thought Elissa trying to calm down as she took Ela in her arms. "Well, I'm happy that you've came to tell me, sweaty. Let Mommy dress and we shall go to the kitchen to eat breakfast."

"Can I go tell Duncan?" asked Ela.

"Well, maybe he's sleeping…we don't want to awake him and the king, my dear!" said Elissa.

"What happened?" said Alistair as he suddenly entered the room.

"What do you mean?" asked Elissa.

"I felt you being very worried!" he said.

"Ela, why don't you go to Duncan, sweaty." said Elissa smiling to Ela.

Ela smiled too and ran out of the room.

"Ela dreamed about Anders, I'm scared that it could have been a demon. She's a mage, Alistair," she said.

Alistair stood still and tried to focus for a moment, then he reached a decision: "I shall send word to the Circle! I'll ask them to send me their best mage!"

"Or maybe it was really Anders. I don't know, Alistair!" said Elissa, confused.

"Don't… stop all this worry… we'll manage this! I won't let anything happen to both of you!" said Alistair, trying to control the overwhelming feeling of worry.

"I don't want them to take her from me! And close her inside that terrible Circle!" said Elissa, scared.

"That's not going to happen! Not as long as I'm king!" said Alistair in a very determinate voice.

"I think that I could need another mage at the Vigil's Keep," she said, sadly.

"Then I shall send word to the Circle immediately," said Alistair.

"I want to return to the Vigil's Keep today. Fergus and Leliana are coming with us." said Elissa.

"But, why? You can stay here as long as you want!" asked Alistair, surprised.

"I know… but I must return there." she said, smiling sadly.

He sighed deeply. "Alright, as you want then; I'll send the mage at the keep, as soon as he arrives," said Alistair and left the room.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Elissa and Ela left the Palace at noon, together with Fergus and Leliana. They were going back to Vigil's Keep. Elissa and Ela were sitting in a horse-drawn carriage, while Leliana and Fergus were riding behind them.

Alistair and Duncan were standing in the Palace, on a balcony, both of them waving at Ela and Elissa.

"Daddy, why can't Ela and Elissa remain here with us?" asked Duncan.

"Well, Duncan, it's… complicated. But I'll promise you something, we'll try to visit them often. What do you say about that?" said Alistair smiling.

"Every day?" asked Duncan.

"Nooooo, that's not possible, Duncan," said Alistair, smiling.

"Every week?" asked Duncan.

"No, how about every two weeks, Duncan. We shall spend a full weekend there, at Vigil's Keep, twice a month!" said Alistair.

"It's a deal!" said the boy, smiling.

"A deal, then!" said Alistair, winking at Duncan.

Ela was sitting in the carriage, near her mother, holding a small mabari puppy in her lap.

"Look Mommy, she likes me!" said Ela very happily, playing with the puppy.

"Of course, dear, she's imprinted on you!" said Elissa.

"Duncan said that he will teach me how to train her." said Ela.

"Well, I think I could teach you something… it's a long time since I've trained a mabari… but I think I can remember something." said Elissa.

"Daddy said that you and the king will marry soon! Isn't that great, Mommy? Me and Duncan will be siblings and we'll play everyday!" said Ela very enthusiastically.

Elissa was in shock, she hardly managed to whisper some words to Ela. "He… he… said… _that_?"

"Yes, he said it is written somewhere… He'll explain it to me when I'll be older!" said Ela, smiling, then she saw Duncan and the king standing on a balcony, waving at them. "Look, Mommy, Duncan and the king are on the balcony! Let's wave at them!"

Elissa started to wave too, trying hard to recover from the shock.

Fergus got closer to Leliana, who was riding a beautiful Orlesian black horse, a gift from the king; he was now riding close to her.

"So Leliana... I've found Anora's journal. Can you imagine that she had spies in my Castle? And she payed the Crows to kill all my girlfriends… she even ordered a Crow to assassinate you, just because we danced a few times at the Celebration!" said Fergus.

"Oh, I knew it was her work! Crazy woman!" said Leliana.

"I'm glad she didn't succeed!" said Fergus smiling.

"Well, Fergus, I'm a bard, I know how to protect myself." said Leliana smiling back.

"I want to thank you for helping my sister and niece… they are everything to me! Thanks for coming with us at Vigil's Keep. They will need our help to… recover." said Fergus.

"Of course, Fergus, she's my best friend… I'll help them gladly! Besides, I've just finished all my business in Orlais and I won't be leaving Ferelden anymore. I enjoy so much spending time with Ela; she's so sweet!" said Leliana.

"You're a good friend, Leliana. Thanks again for your help!" said Fergus smiling.

Fergus and Leliana continued their discussion for the rest of the journey from Denerim to Vigil's Keep. They talked about Elissa, Ela, Highever, Orlais... and so they started to know each other much better, both of then enjoying each other's company very much.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

The king was good to his word; he and Duncan had spent a full weekend at Vigil's Keep, twice a month. The Circle of Magi had sent a mage to Vigil's Keep to investigate Ela's dreams. Elissa had been very happy to find out that it was not a demon that was visiting her daughter's dreams, but Anders's spirit. He was Ela's personal guardian spirit. Leliana and Fergus had become very good friends and had remained at Vigil's Keep with Elissa and Ela, helping them.

Nine months had already passed since Anders's pyre and funeral. Alistair and Duncan were at Vigil's Keep, as they had spend their weekend there, but it was time for them to return to Denerim. Elissa asked Alistair to come in her office to discuss some Warden business.

"So Alistair, here are the reports for the last two weeks. Nothing interesting happened, but it's the protocol," said Elissa as she gave Alistair some papers.

"Oh, yeah… more papers!" he said, smiling and then he took the papers.

"And there is also the matter of that trade route between Amaranthine and Orlais, here's the trade contract, it must be signed and sealed by… " said Elissa, but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

A servant came in the office, all scared and hardly breathing.

"My lady… please… we need your help!" he said, hardly speaking.

"What is it?" asked Elissa.

"Sir Oghren… he's threatening the cook again… he's got a giant ax… he wants the cook to use _ale_ instead of water for the soup… and he's _very_ _serious_! The cook had locked herself in the kitchen. Sir Oghren is trying to break the door… with the… _giant ax_!" said the very scared servant.

"Andraste's flaming sword! Not _again_!" yelled Elissa as she jumped up from her chair.

Alistair bust into laugh. "Well, I guess you need to… go!" he said, laughing.

"Just wait here for a moment, Alistair! I'll be right back!" said Elissa as she ran out of the room, followed by the servant.

Alistair remained in her office alone. He waited there for half an hour… he got very bored. He looked at the self of books behind her desk and decided to read something.

"Let's see… 'The History of Amaranthine'... boring… 'The History of Grey Wardens', yeah, this might be interesting," said Alistair as he took a book from the self.

But as he opened the book, he saw a dried, well preserved red rose hidden inside the book.

'_Maker! She kept the rose!_' he thought as he got very…

"What's with all this guilt and sadness that I feel? Why are you felling so guilty?" said Elissa as she entered the office.

But she stopped suddenly and froze, as she just saw Alistair holding the dried red rose that he had given her almost six and a half years ago.

"I'm sorry… I didn't want to go through your things… I was getting bored and I wanted to read this book and I..." he tried to explain, feeling ashamed.

_'Surprise… Happiness… Love? Maybe she just remembered the day I gave her the rose… Sadness … now she remembered that thing I...' _he thought as he just felt Elissa's emotions.

'_Guilt… He feels guilty… why? The rose was a beautiful gift, I remember how happy I was that day … so happy and in love! I was so sure that we'll remain so happy for the rest of our lives! But it didn't happen… life is difficult…_' she thought, staring at him sadly.

"You kept the rose!" he whispered sadly. '_Sadness… so much sadness… and now fear, she's afraid of my reaction_,' he thought.

'_Sadness, deep sadness… guilt, so much guilt! He's sorry for… but it's too late! And now what? What's he going to do?_' she thought, afraid of his reaction.

"It was a beautiful gift, of course I kept it!" she said smiling sadly. '_Hope… happiness… love. Love?… hope again! I wonder what's he thinking about now?_' she thought, raising an eyebrow.

'_Hey, I should fix things… we could be happy again, together… I still love her… very much… Yes, I'll fix things! I'll win her heart back!_' thought the king, smiling happily.

A royal guard entered suddenly into the office and bowed to the king."Your Majesty, everything is ready for the journey. Prince Duncan is already outside the keep, waiting for your Majesty." said the guard.

'_Happiness! Hope!_' thought Elissa, staring at Alistair, while she was sensing his feelings again.

"I think I should leave now. Please just remember that next week is Duncan's birthday and you are invited, of course. Please come, Duncan would be very sad if you won't!" said Alistair smiling.

"Of course we'll come!" answered Elissa. "Have a safe journey!"

Alistair left Elissa's office and followed the guard outside the keep, where Duncan was expecting him. They both climbed up in the horse-drawn carriage and left Vigil's Keep surrounded by a large group of royal guards.

"Daddy, why do we have to leave? I like to play with Ela… and Elissa is really nice! Why can't they move in Denerim so that I could play with Ela every day?" asked Duncan.

"Well, son, I wish things could be so simple, but life is… complicated… I'll tell you a little secret, Duncan, Daddy is going to fix this," he said smiling to Duncan. "Daddy's working on it, Duncan!"

'_That's right! I've made up my mind and I'm going to succeed, because I'm a stronger man now and I know exactly what I want! I won't let anything stop me this time! I want my green-eyed lady back! I'm getting back my love!_' And the king repeated these words in his mind like a song, or a mantra... all the way back to Denerim!

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"


	20. The One Who Broke My Heart

_Many thanks to all of you who wrote reviews and to all of you who subscribed to my story. _

**Chapter 20: The One Who Broke My Heart **

"_What do you do when the only one that can make you stop crying, is the person who made you cry?" - Author unknown_

The Royal Palace was in a big bustle, as the servants were working hard to finish all preparations for prince Duncan's fifth anniversary party. Some servants were running on the Palace's hallways caring baskets full of fresh flowers, others were decorating the Landsmeet Room with Orlesian silks, while some people were moving the furniture. The king's chef almost had a nerve breakdown due to a food supply delay, as he lacked some of the main ingredients for his recipes. The king had organized everything himself and was standing in the Landsmeet Chamber supervising the servants. He had to take care of almost everything by himself, as his Chancellor and friend Teagan - who was usual organizing the king's events - had been in Orlais with some business for some weeks and was about to return only in the evening. Everything was supposed to be perfect, the king wanted to make sure of that, as he had big plans for that evening. That was not just a simple royal celebration, it was _the_ most important celebration since he had been named king. Surely, it was an important event for the king, Duncan's fifth anniversary, but that was not all. The king had big plans for that evening, as it was his chance to win back the lady of his heart, the woman he had lost due to his terrible mistake almost seven years ago. He was confident that it would not be a simple task, as he had broken her heart really badly back then, after the Landsmeet. But Alistair hoped that she might still love him too and maybe he would somehow manage to persuade her to give him a second chance. He would not give up so easily, all the suffering he had been through and all the time spent between the nobles made him a stronger and more determinate man. He was not the innocent and easily to manipulate Chantry boy that he had been almost seven years ago. Life had not been gentle with him, he had been forced to hardened himself… to learn to fight hard for his happiness. Yes, he would fight even the Maker Himself to get back his love!

It was almost evening and the preparations were already completed. The king was sitting on his Throne, in the Lansmeet chamber. Duncan was seated next to him, on a small throne, specially manufactured for him. They were both looking at the nobles, who just started enter the room. All the nobles of Ferelden had been invited to this Celebration. Some of the nobles brought their children with them. A special children party was about to be organized in a smaller room, close to the Landsmeet chamber. All the newly arrived nobles slowly approached the king and his son, bowed and greeted them, then placed their birthday gift in front of the prince.

And then _she_ came in, dressed in a beautiful red silk dress and the king almost fell from his throne at the sight of _her_. She was looking astonishing, her long and curly chest-nut hair, that she usually wore flowing down her back, had been now tied in an elegant Orlesian style bun, - probably Leliana's doing - emphasizing her beautiful face and her green eyes. The king gulped, tried hard to give himself a mental shake to recover, as he was gazing at Elissa like a fool, grinning from ear to ear. She was followed by Ela and Leliana with Fergus. They all walked slowly in the Throne's direction, but as they reached half of the way, they were greeted immediately by the king, who had already jumped on his feet and was standing in front of them grinning like a fool.

"Elissa! Ela!" said the king grinning from ear to ear.

"Your Majesty!" said Elissa, while she was bowing to the king, then Ela, Leliana and Fergus bowed too.

"Welcome to Duncan's fifth anniversary!" said the king, still grinning like a fool.

Elissa smiled and then looked suspiciously at the happy king in front of her. She got closer to him and whispered in his ear. "Your happiness is contagious!", then she gave him a beautiful smile.

Teagan approached them in a hurry, bowed to the king and greeted him, then turned to Elissa and her party and greeted them too. He started to gaze at Elissa.

"Teagan, my friend! I thought you won't make it to the Celebration!" said Alistair, interrupting Teagan's gazing.

"I've just arrived from Orlais, this afternoon. But I couldn't miss such an important event! Especially when such a beautiful lady is present!" said Teagan smiling and staring again at Elissa.

_'Hands off, Teagan! She's mine!' _thought Alistair getting immediately jealous.

"Come with me, Teagan! There's something we need to discuss!" said the king as he suddenly grabbed Teagan's arm and was almost dragging Teagan after him towards the Throne. Teagan was speechless, looking very surprised at the angry king.

But as they were walking fast towards the Throne, the Orlesian ambassador practically jumped in their way.

"Your Majesty, I bring important news from Orlais," said the ambassador, bowing to the king.

The king looked at the man in front of him, then decided to release Teagan, but only for a few minutes, as it would have been too rude to ignore the ambassador.

"Of course, let us discuss, ambassador," said the king releasing Teagan's arm.

The king and the ambassador discussed for a few minutes, but then suddenly the music started. Alistair looked surprised at the minstrels, because it should have been his job to announce the beginning of the party.

_'Probably somebody decided that it's already time for the celebration to start. Maybe it was Teagan?_' he thought.

He looked for Teagan in the crowd of nobles, but he couldn't find him anywhere. He turned his head and then he saw him… on the dance floor… dancing… with… Elissa! The king immediately saw red in front of his eyes!

'_Damn you, Teagan! Couldn't stay put for a moment, could you?_' thought the king as he turned all red with anger. He excused himself from the ambassador and quickly walked away from him. But he was immediately stopped by a group of nobles, who had something to discuss with him. He refused them as politely as he could, given his current bad mood, and continued his fast walking through the nobles. He was almost running, almost jumping over the nobles, who were staring suspiciously at the angry king. Soon, he approached the minstrels, whispered something to one of them, then he continued his run through the crowd of nobles.

The song was just at its half, when the king reached his final destination. He was standing behind Teagan, who was dancing with Elissa.

"May I have the honor to dance with the beautiful lady?" said Alistair in a harsh tone, his face all red with anger.

Teagan turned his back on, looked surprised at Alistair and raised an eyebrow. "But the dance is not even over… Alistair!" said Teagan.

"Well, it will be over soon", said Alistair and then he made a sign with his hand. The music suddenly stopped.

_'Sorry, Teagan! All is fair in love and war!' _thought the king, smiling wickedly at Teagan. He got closer to Teagan and whispered in his ear. "No offense, my friend!"

"None taken," answered Teagan, looking suspiciously at Alistair.

Alistair got closer to Elissa and whispered to her. "One of the advantages of being king!"

He bowed to Elissa. "May I have this dance my lady?"

Elissa smiled at him. "Of course, your Majesty!"

The music started as soon as Alistair took Elissa's hand from Teagan's. Teagan immediately left the dance floor, leaving Alistair dancing with Elissa.

"When did you become so bold?" asked Elissa raising an eyebrow.

"Well, someone told me long time ago that I should learn to stand up for myself. I guess I had a lot of time to think about it, didn't I?", he said smiling,"And you know what I've also learned? I've learned to fight for what should be mine!"

"Really?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

"I'll fight the Maker Himself!" he said in a very determinate voice.

"You've changed!" she said smiling.

"I did… I've changed, but in a better way, I hope! I'm a stronger man now!" he said grinning from ear to ear.

"You've been so angry… jealous," said Elissa looking suspiciously at Alistair.

"No I wasn't!" said Alistair trying to lie, but then he realized that she must have sensed his feelings. He sighed deeply. "Well, I guess I cannot hide anything from you, can I?"

"What could you possibly try to hide away from me?" she asked suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing!" he tried to lie.

"So you're really trying to hide something!" she said raising an eyebrow.

"Well… let's not discuss this, please! It was supposed to be a surprise!" he said blushing.

She looked at him suspiciously again, then decided to stop questioning him as he was too blushed.

Alistair danced with Elissa for all the rest of the Celebration, enjoying each others company very much. Nobody else even dared to ask Elissa for a dance… well, except for Duncan, who was allowed to dance with Elissa for a few times.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

The Celebration was about get over and Fergus was sitting at one of the tables, close to Leliana, thinking hard and gazing from time to time to her.

"So, Leliana, are you going to return to Vigil's Keep after this Celebration?" asked Fergus suddenly.

"I don't know… maybe; why?" she said surprised.

"I've been thinking… I want to return to Highever right after this Celebration and… well, I… I've just realized that you never seen Highever and… would you like to come with me?" said Fergus.

"You want me to come with you?" asked Leliana.

"Yes, you've been such a good friend and I really have to tell you that I… enjoy your company very much!" said Fergus, smiling.

"I… don't know what to say! I _also_ enjoy your company very much!" said Leliana, smiling beautifully.

"So will you come?" asked Fergus very boldly.

"Sure," said Leliana, smiling.

"Good, we shall leave as soon as the Celebration is over. I'll go tell Elissa about this." said Fergus, getting very happy.

Fergus got up from the table and walked to Elissa who had already finished a dance with Alistair.

"Elissa, may I have a word with you?" said Fergus.

"Of course, brother," said Elissa.

"Let's go somewhere more private,"said Fergus.

Elissa and Fergus got outside the Landsmeet chamber and walked into an empty balcony nearby.

"I'm leaving for Highever after this Celebration, and… Leliana is coming with me!" said Fergus very happily.

"Really? She's going with you? Well… she's got a good heart, I've told you this long ago, brother!" said Elissa, smiling.

"Yes, I know… we're such good friends and I think that I want more… you know… I like her very much!" said Fergus blushing.

"Andraste's Grace!" said Elissa, smiling.

"What?" asked Fergus, surprised.

"Her favorite flowers!" said Elissa, winking.

"Oh, right! Thanks, good to know!" said Fergus, smiling back.

"I'm happy for you, Fergus! I think she likes you too! She's just waiting for you to make the next move. I think it's time for you to be happy, brother!" said Elissa.

"Well, thanks, sister!" said Fergus.

"I think I should return to the Celebration. Alistair is waiting for me!" said Elissa very enthusiastically.

"I see his Majesty has set his mind on you tonight, Eli." said Fergus in a harsh tone.

"We've just danced, Fergus. " said Elissa.

"He seems very enraptured by you, Eli." said Fergus very annoyed.

"It's nothing bad in this, Fergus." said Elissa.

"I just hope his intentions are good this time, or else..." said Fergus getting very angry.

"Stop it, Fergus! He's a good man! He's a gentleman!" yelled Elissa.

"Sure, a gentleman… the one who broke your heart, Eli!" said Fergus in a harsh tone.

"I'm a grown up woman now, Fergus. You don't need to take care of me anymore!" said Elissa very angrily.

Fergus sighed deeply. "Look, Elissa, I just don't want you to get hurt again, sister… Just remember this Elissa: he's the one who broke your heart, sister… Don't let him fool you twice!", he sighed deeply,"Let's get back now." said Fergus in a calm voice.

Elissa took Fergus's arm and they both returned into the Landsmeet room.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

The Celebration was already over and all the nobles had already left. Fergus and Leliana had also left for Highever soon after the Celebration was over. Alistair and Elissa had got Duncan and Ela to bed as it was already too late for them. After the children had fallen asleep, Alistair had asked Elissa to join him in his office for a glass of wine. She had accepted and they were both sitting now in his office, drinking red wine and talking.

"I had a really good time tonight," said Alistair, smiling very happily at Elissa.

"Me too," she said smiling back.

"I know… I felt it!" said Alistair.

They both smiled and looked at each other not saying anything, just feeling each others joy.

Suddenly, Elissa saw a small cabinet with a glass door behind Alistair. Inside, she saw all the gifts that she had given him during their adventures through Ferelden.

"I see you kept my gifts," she said, raising an eyebrow.

He looked surprised at her for a moment, not realizing what she was talking about. "Oh, _that_! Yes, of course!" said Alistair turning to look at the small cabinet. Then he opened it, took a stone dragon statuette and placed it on his desk.

"This one is my favorite." he said.

"Oh, yes! I remember!" she said smiling. "I gave you this one just after we returned from the Korcari Wilds, after we killed Morrigan's mother," she said and she turned all sad, just remembering Morrigan.

"You're sad… why?" he asked.

"I've… I've just remembered… Morrigan!" she said, smiling sadly.

"Oh, right!" he said, turning serious.

"I wonder where she is now." she said sadly.

"I wonder _that_ too!" said Alistair in a very harsh tone.

"She's got your… child."

He sighed deeply."Yes, don't remind me about _that_!" he said getting very nervous.

"Do you ever regret _it_… _that_!" she asked boldly.

"No, I don't!" he said in a very determinate voice.

"Really?" she asked surprised.

"Yeah, I saved you, didn't I? I'm happy I did it!" he said in a very determinate voice.

"You… you liked… _it_?" she asked feeling her stomach getting restless… feeling the need to throw up.

"Wait… what are you… No! Stop feeling so disgusted about this! It's not what you think! It wasn't like _that_!" he said as he jumped from his chair, after he had just sensed her strong feeling of disgust.

"I… can't stop it!" she said, trying hard to control her emotions.

"Look, I never managed to tell you about it, didn't I?" he said, calming down and sitting back in his chair.

"I… don't want to know the _details_… _Really_!" she said and got up from her chair trying to leave.

"Wait… we didn't… we didn't do _it_, me and Morrigan… we didn't really have sex!" yelled Alistair, stopping her from getting out of his office.

"What?" she asked surprised as she turned to look at him again.

"She found another way… let me tell you everything, please don't leave! Please sit down!" he said begging her to come back.

"Alright," she said and sat back on the chair.

Then Alistair told Elissa all the story about how Morrigan had convinced him to take part in her dark ritual and after a few moments they were both laughing about it.

"So Zev really spied on us during our… _happy time_?" she said, laughing.

"Yeah, imagine _that_! And he bribed Nero with mabari crunches!" said Alistair laughing too.

"I never thought mabari hounds could be bribed! They are supposed to be very loyal to their master." said Elissa.

"Well, I guess Zev found his weakness." said Alistair smiling.

And they both sat there just talking, laughing, bringing back good memories from their adventures together and drinking red wine.

After a few hours, they decided it was time to go to their rooms and Alistair led Elissa to her room.

"I really enjoyed this evening together!" she said very happily, standing in front of the door to her bedroom.

"Me too," he said, then he bit his lip slowly and whispered. "So, do I get a goodnight kiss?", then he smiled.

"Well, I guess you deserve one,"she said smiling too.

She got closer to him and gently pressed her lips to his cheek, but as she wanted to remove her lips she felt it… his love… an overwhelming feeling of pure love.

'_He loves me! Maker! He…still... loves… me! After so much time! And I… I think I…_' she thought.

He looked at her as she got closer to him and pressed her lips to his right cheek. He smelled her hair, that familiar scent he hadn't felt for so long. He felt this whole body starting to tremble as her soft lips touched his skin.

_'Maker! I'm so totally in love with her!' _he thought as he closed his eyes and the whole world stopped for a few moments for him. And then he felt it too… her love for him, as she was just about to remove her lips from his cheek.

'_She loves me too!_' he thought happily, his heart beating hard from emotion. He gently placed his right hand on her jaw and searched her lips with his. He kissed her slowly, afraid to ruin the moment, but she answered back, she opened her mouth and let him deeper the kiss and soon his tongue was searching hers. He placed his hands on her body, holding her closer to him, kissing her hungrily.

"I love you!" he whispered in her ear as soon as he ended the passionate long kiss.

She smiled happily at him, feeling all his love, looking into his eyes that were shining, full of love. She wanted to say it too, that she loved him… but suddenly she remembered Fergus's words _"He's the one who broke your heart, sister"_ and she stopped, didn't say a word, just thought hard. She was afraid of him, the one that had broken her so badly long time ago.

He looked at her, waiting for her answer, but he didn't need words, as he already felt her love overwhelming him… but then, suddenly he felt fear, sadness.

'_She's afraid! I hurt her! I was such a fool!_' the thought looking at her turning all sad.

"Good night, your Majesty!"she said sadly and quickly entered her room, locking it behind her.

"Good night!" he said and sighed deeply.

He stood there, in front of her room for a few moments, just staring at the floor and thinking. '_Maker! I hurt her deeply back then, didn't I? I was such a fool! And now she's afraid I might do it again! Who could blame her for that? But she still loves me! I felt it, even if she didn't say it. It's a good start. I'll fix this. I'll win her heart back. I won't give up! I'll get her back and I have just the perfect plan for it!_' he thought and then he smiled and walked away from her door.

But the king did not go to his bedroom, actually he did not sleep at all that night. People said that the Royal Palace was in a big bustle again, all the night, as the king was organizing something important. They also said that the king's men had bought all the red roses from Denerim and its villages, and all the night, people had been cutting red roses from all the gardens from Denerim and its surroundings.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

_**N/A : **I guess you've already realized that the next chapter is going to have a lot of fresh beautiful red roses in it! ;-)_


	21. The Unforgettable Love

_Many thanks to all of you who wrote reviews and to all of you who subscribed to my story. _

**Chapter 21: The Unforgettable Love**

"_In life we all have an unspeakable secret, an irreversible regret, an unreachable dream and an unforgettable love." - Diego Marchi _

It was already dawn and a small ray of light was gently lighting a guest room from the Royal Palace. There was an overwhelming scent of fresh roses in the room. The woman, who was sleeping in a bed, opened her eyes slowly and looked around. She heard a small noise in the room and immediately got up, taking a dagger in her hand, from behind her pillow.

"I'm so sorry… my lady, I didn't mean to wake you up. I apologize!" said a small elven female servant from a corner of the room.

Elissa opened her eyes wide, not believing what she just saw. There were big baskets full of red roses everywhere in the room! On the floor, on the furniture, on the windows, near her bed… _everywhere_! One could hardly walk through the room without stepping on a basket of red roses! The small servant was gently walking through the room, arranging the baskets on her way. She smiled at Elissa and then opened the room's biggest window largely.

"My lady, the king asked me to tell you to look at the window… when you're ready!" said the servant, smiling beautifully.

Elissa quickly got dressed and tried hard to walk towards the window, afraid not to ruin the beautifully decorated baskets of red roses. She even took some of the baskets in her hands and placed them gently on the bed, making a small empty alley in the room full of roses. After a few minutes of practically struggling through the red roses in the room, she finally arrived in front of the big window. She looked there, on the window, then she pinched herself hard, not believing her eyes. The castle's yard was almost full of baskets with red roses, arranged in the shape of a big heart. Inside the big heart of red roses, there were some words written, using other baskets full of red roses, of course. She read the letters from the big heart slowly: 'I LOVE YOU. MARRY ME!' And in the middle of the heart of red roses there was a man, standing there, grinning from ear to ear: the king of Ferelden.

Elissa looked in open-mouthed wonder for a few minutes, the pinched herself again… it was not a dream!

"Maker...", it all she was able to say, as she was in a deep shock.

After a few minutes of staring at each other, Alistair left the yard in a hurry. In a few minutes he was already knocking on her door. The servant opened the door, then left the king alone with Elissa.

Alistair struggled through the room full of red roses and, after a few minutes, he finally got closer to Elissa, who was staring open-mouthed at him. He gently knelled in front of her, then raised his head to look into her eyes.

"I know that not even all the red roses on Thedas would make up for what I did… I know that I don't deserve a second chance… but still, I know that I love you with all my heart. It's hard to describe how much I love you and I'm so lucky that you can feel it… and I also feel your love for me too. We are connected somehow, I don't understand how… the point is that I can't imagine my life without you… I don't want to spend a minute away from you anymore! I promise you that I will never disappoint you again, _never_! I want you to be happy, because then I'm happy too… your happiness is my happiness… how ironical is _that_!" said Alistair looking into her eyes.

Then, he took a small red wooden box out of his pocket, shaped like a rose; he opened it slowly. He gently picked up a simple golden ring, with a small emerald stone, out of the red rose-shaped box.

"I bought this ring almost seven years ago, right after our first night together… I wanted to give it to you then, but I was waiting for the perfect moment, I was such a fool! Then, Arl Eamon said that I should be king and he, somehow, convinced me… manipulated me to postpone my proposal to you. Then, he told me that a king needs to have an heir, it's his duty to the country, and that I should reconsider my decision regarding my proposal to you. I listened to him, I was weak, young and easy to manipulate! I know it wasn't entirely arl Eamon's fault, it was my fault too! I should have fought harder for our love! I should never given up on you! But I did and I'm so sorry! I've regretted it so much over the last seven years! I been so miserable when I had to marry someone that I did not love… just to do my kingly duty. I wanted to give you this ring, I know it's not a fancy expensive ring, it's just a simple golden ring. As a king, I could have bought you the most expensive and exquisite ring on Thedas, but I thought that this ring here has a more powerful value, a sentimental one. I want to make it up to you, I want you to take it, even if you won't marry me... please!" he said sadly, almost crying.

"I… I'm speechless… you bought me a ring? You know that I almost thought that you were going to propose to me after the Landsmeet! I'm… I'm in shock!" she said as she took the ring from his hand and studying it. The ring had the words _'I love you, Elissa. Always.'_ carved on it.

"I'm so sorry for hurting you so badly back then, after the Landsmeet… I was miserable too… and, probably, I was also feeling your sadness too, but I didn't realize it then… now I'm sure of it!" he said sadly.

"I do," she said after a few moments of staring at the ring.

"Pardon?" he said surprised, like he had just waken up from a dream.

"I'll marry you!" she said, smiling beautifully to him.

"Really? Wow!" , he said surprised,"Really?", he said again, his face lighting up with joy, "Oh, Maker! Thank you, Maker! I'm the luckiest man on Thedas!" he said enthusiastically.

And then he slowly got up and put the ring on her finger. He embraced her, kissed her gently, holding her close to him. They stood there for a few minutes, just kissing and holding each other close, sensing their mutual love, not saying anything... because words were just useless at that precious moment.

"I guess there is one more obstacle to overcome now: I need to ask your brother for your hand", said Alistair after a passionate kiss.

"That would be… quite interesting… and dangerous," said Elissa, smiling beautifully at him.

"I guess it will be… but I'm confident in my new _persuading abilities_," he said smiling back.

"Things could go ugly. He might even punch you!" said Elissa getting a bit serious.

"I guess I deserve a punch or maybe two… but I think I'll survive… I hope!" said Alistair smiling.

"Just promise me you won't execute him!" she said very seriously.

"I promise! I'll take my punishment like a man, now let's go! We're leaving right now. I've already made all the preparations." he answered in a very determinate voice.

"Really? Wow, you've _really_ changed!" she said surprised.

"Yeah, I hope you like the new '_me'_!" he said smiling.

"Hey, just don't change too much! I like the old you a lot!" she said smiling back.

"Really? How much? Can you describe it?" then he started to laugh."Oh… never mind, don't try to describe it, words are useless… I already feel it!" and then he kissed her again.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Fergus was walking nervously through the Highever's crowed market. It was a market day and the place was in a big bustle. He got closer to a flower merchant and searched quickly for what he was looking for.

"I want to buy all your Andraste's Grace!" said the noble in a very determinate voice.

"Of course, my lord," said the merchant and gently gave the noble a basket full of fresh flowers.

Fergus took the basket, then payed the merchant and quickly walked back to the Highever castle. He found Leliana in the castle's yard, playing with his mabari hound. He tried to sneak behind her back, but he failed, as she had already spotted him. She was a rogue, after all. He tried to hide the basket behind his back, hoping she wouldn't notice it.

"What are you trying to hide behind your back, Fergus?" said Leliana smiling, not even turning to look at him. She already knew what he was hiding.

"Just a basket… look Leliana, can we have a word in private?" he asked nervously.

"Sure, Fergus. Your dog is so cute! And so playful!" she said smiling.

Then Fergus led Leliana into a small garden and they both set down on a bench.

"I wanted to tell you something… we've become such good friends, over the last nine months, and I wanted to give you a gift. Elissa told me that you like Andraste's Grace, so I've bought you a basket full of fresh flowers!" he said blushing, feeling that he was getting soft, too soft for his strong character.

"Ooh, how dear of you! Thank you so much!" said Leliana smelling the fresh flowers.

"I've been thinking… I've started to care about you, Leli, _very_ _very_ much!" he said smiling.

Leliana smiled beautifully. "I care about you too, Fergus. A lot!" she said smiling back.

And then he didn't wait much, he slowly bended to her mouth and kissed her gently and she kissed him back. And they sat there on that bench talking and kissing for a few hours, then they got inside the castle and spent the evening together.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Alistair and Elissa arrived at Highever early in the morning, followed only by a group of royal guards, as Ela and Duncan had remained in Denerim. Fergus was already expecting them in the castle's yard, as they had sent word of their arrival, one day ago.

Elissa looked at Fergus and noticed that he seemed very happy and in a good mood. She got closer to Alistair and whispered into his ear. "He seems in a good mood. That's a good start!"

Alistair nodded, then swallowed hard, while he was thinking about the following confrontation with Elissa's brother. He remembered their conversation almost six and a half years ago.

"So, what's the purpose of this unexpected visit, your Majesty?" asked Fergus directly, in a harsh tone.

"We need to talk to you, Fergus. Let's go inside," answered Elissa.

Fergus looked suspiciously at Alistair and Elissa and immediately noticed how genuinely happy they both looked. He tried to imagine what had happened… he immediately had a hunch about it.

They all got inside the castle and entered the castle's big dinning room.

"We're getting married, Fergus!" said Elissa as soon as they all sat at a table.

Fergus raised an eyebrow. He stared at Alistair, awaiting for him to say something.

"I've come here to ask for your sister's hand, Fergus," said Alistair in a very determinate voice.

Fergus looked at Elissa. "I would like to have a word in private with Alistair." said Fergus in a very harsh tone.

"No! Fergus, I already accepted! I'll marry him, Fergus. We love each other." stated Elissa.

"Just let us talk for a few moments," said Fergus again in a very harsh tone.

"It's alright, Elissa. Let us talk!" said Alistair to Elissa.

"Just promise me you won't hurt each other!" said Elissa.

"I cannot make you that promise." said Fergus in a very harsh tone.

"Then I won't go!" yelled Elissa.

"I promise I won't kill him, that's the best you can get from me, Elissa." said Fergus.

Elissa looked angrily at her brother, then got closer to Alistair and whispered in his ear. "If he attacks you, defend yourself and strike back!"

Alistair smiled and whispered back. "Don't worry, love! I'll be fine!"

Fergus led Elissa out of the dinning room, then he locked the door from inside; he and Alistair remained alone in the room.

"So, Alistair, you want to marry my little sister?" said Fergus shooting fire with his eyes at Alistair.

"Yes, Fergus. I love her." said Alistair calmly.

"Really? Are you sure you really love her this time? I remember that she told me how you said you _loved her_, almost seven years ago… then, suddenly, you broke her heart and got rid of her like a whore!" yelled Fergus getting angry.

"I was a fool!" said Alistair, sadly.

"Yes, probably. The question is how do I know you won't break her heart again, Alistair?" said Fergus in a very harsh tone.

"I would never hurt her again. I want her to be happy." said Alistair.

"I wish I could believe you, Alistair." said Fergus.

"I promise you, Fergus. I won't break her heart again." said Alistair in a very determinate voice.

"That's not good enough!" said Fergus.

"Then what do you want me to do to prove you that I have good intentions?" asked Alistair.

"Tell me Alistair, would you fight for her happiness?" said Fergus, raising an eyebrow.

"The Maker Himself!" yelled Alistair.

"Good! Then fight _me_ first!" said Fergus, while he was taking two swords and two shields down from a wall nearby.

He gave Alistair a sword and a shield. "Prepare yourself!" said Fergus.

"I don't want to hurt you, Fergus." said Alistair.

"Too bad, because I'm going to hurt _you_!" yelled Fergus, while he was charging Alistair with all his power.

Alistair immediately defended himself with his shield from Fergus's powerful strike.

"You took her virginity, then got rid of her like a whore! She deserves better!" yelled Fergus striking again, with more power this time.

"I wanted to marry her, back then. I even got her a ring!" yelled Alistair, defending himself.

"And why didn't you? Oh, let me guess, she couldn't give you an heir! Such a weak reason!" yelled Fergus, preparing for another charge.

"I was a fool! I thought we couldn't have children together!" said Alistair, preparing to defend himself for another possible attack.

"You were a fool indeed. How did you know she wasn't already pregnant back then, when you broke up with her?" said Fergus striking again.

"I… I didn't know… you're right. She might have been!" he said sadly, sighing deeply.

Fergus took advantage of this distraction and pushed Alistair over a chair. The chair broke into pieces and Alistair fell on the ground.

"You should have fought harder for her!" yelled Fergus, waiting for Alistair to get up.

Alistair got up slowly from the ground. "I was so sure that Grey Warden could not have children with each other!"

"Well, you were wrong about _that_! You're such a coward!" yelled Fergus, charging again.

Alistair turned all red with anger. "I've changed!" yelled Alistair defending himself from Fergus's strike.

"Really?" yelled Fergus, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes! I'm not weak anymore!" yelled Alistair, charging Fergus with all his power.

Fergus hardly managed to defend himself from Alistair's strike and he immediately fell on the ground.

"I've changed and I know I did wrong, I want to make things right, Fergus. I love her and this time I won't let anything or anybody stand in my way! I want to fix things, I want to marry her!" yelled Alistair, waiting for Fergus to get up.

"And how do I know you won't cheat on her with the first young servant you'll find available, Alistair? Your brother and your father had _colorful_… reputations!" said Fergus.

Alistair gathered all his power and hit Fergus hard with his shield. "I'm not my father, or my brother! I would never cheat on her! I love her with all my heart!" yelled the king.

Fergus fell on the floor and Alistair immediately placed his sword on his chest."We love each other, Fergus! We're going to marry with of without your blessing! Surrender, Fergus!"

Fergus smirked. "I see that you've really changed! Good! And you passed my little test too!"

Alistair raised an eyebrow, then removed his sword from Fergus's chest and helped him get up.

As soon as Fergus was up on his feet again, he smiled to Alistair. "You have my blessing, Alistair."

And when Elissa and Leliana finally managed to enter the dining room - after Leliana had successful lock picked the door - they found all the furniture in the room destroyed, but the two men were shaking hands and smiling at each other like they were two old friends.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"


	22. The Right Regrets

_Many thanks to all of you who wrote reviews and to all who subscribed to my story. _

**Chapter 22: The Right Regrets**

"_Maybe all one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets." - Arthur Miller _

Alistair looked into the big mirror in front of him. He was wearing a very luxurious brown tunic with delicate embroidered golden crowns and a pair of silk brown trousers. It was his wedding day with Elissa. Yes, hard to believe, but correct! It was _the_ day, the best day of his life. He was finally going to marry the lady of his heart!

He just remembered how he had been standing there, in front of the same mirror, almost six years ago, before his arranged wedding with the Orlesian noble, Pauline. He had been so miserable! He regretted so much that he had accepted that arranged wedding! He should had fought Eamon, he should had married Elissa! Yes, he regretted that very much, but today he was going to fix his mistake, he was going to finally marry the love of his life.

After so many years of pain, frustration, sorrow, the Maker was on his side again and things were going into the right direction once and for all. He was so happy, so enthusiastic about the whole event And he also felt _her_ happiness and _her_ enthusiasm too, and that made him twice happy! So he looked again into the mirror, smiled happily then nodded.

_'Yes, today I'm the happiest man on Thedas!' _

Elissa was looking into the big mirror in front of her. She was wearing a beautiful white silk dress, with white embroidery on her neck, shoulders and arms. Leliana was standing close to her, arranging some white small flowers in her hair.

"Isn't today a wonderful day!" said Leliana very enthusiastically.

"Yes, I never thought it would happen, not after everything we've been through." said Elissa smiling happily.

"Well, I've told you that you were meant for each other. He was such a fool! This could have happened seven years ago!" said Leliana.

"Well, I was a fool too! I could have made myself Queen at the Landsmeet. But I never wanted power and I was so sure that he would propose to me after the Landsmeet!" said Elissa, sadly.

She never wanted power, that was why she didn't make herself Queen at the Landsmeet. She was a noble, a Cousland, in fact, she was next in line to the Throne, but she had wanted to be a neutral party, then, at the Landsmeet. She wouldn't had made Alistair king if not for Anora's betray. But things turned right; Alistair had proven to be a very good king, better than Anora, who had resembled her father so much. No, if she could change things, she would make Alistair king again! This had been the right choice!

Elissa looked again into the mirror and smiled happily. Today she was going to marry Alistair, the one who stole her heart long time ago, the one who broke her heart, but also the one she had forgiven long time ago. She had been so disappointed when Alistair had given up so easily on their love, especially when it had been proven that he was all wrong. Grey Wardens could have children with each other, it was rare, but not impossible. He shouldn't had given up so easily! They had defeated an Archdemon, had found Andraste's Sacred Urn, had broken an ancient elven curse, had cleared a Circle full of demons, had crowned a dwarven king and had fought a dwarven Paragon! Finding a way to have a child couldn't had been _that_ impossible! It was Thedas, wasn't it? There were mages, all kind of spells, fertility potions… so many miracles! He should had fought harder! They had lost each other in that world full of politics, twisted interests, but it didn't matter anymore, because they had found each other again. Somehow, the Maker had fixed things, so that they could reunite. Life had been hard, complicated, with pain and sorrow, good and bad moments, but all the painful memories did not matter anymore, because that day it was a happy day. So she smiled happily and.

"Today, I'm the happiest woman on Thedas!" stated Elissa.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

It was a sunny beautiful day in Denerim and every man, woman and child in the capital was waiting impatiently for the king's wedding ceremony to begin. Everybody had been so excited that the king was about to remarry, as they had all heard the rumors: they said that he was about to marry the woman he loved. It was time for a king to to marry out of love, hard to believe, but true!

There was a huge crowd outside the Palace, as everybody wanted to see the new happy royal couple. They said she was very beautiful and very brave. She was their hero after all, the Hero of Ferelden who had ended the Blight seven years ago!

The Denerim Palace's Landsmeet chamber had been beautifully decorated with expensive silks and fresh flowers. All Ferelden's nobles were standing in front of the king's Throne, aligned in two parallel rows, one on the left of the room, the other on the right, leaving an empty row between them. As soon as the minstrels started to sing, the chamber's doors opened and the bride entered, arm in arm with her brother. Alistair, who was standing in front of his Throne, together with the Grand Cleric, almost fell on the floor at the sight of his beautiful future bride, as his legs were trembling from emotion. He swallowed hard and tried to recover his balance. His eyes were shining with love; he was so happy and he also felt her happiness too! The king was grinning from ear to ear at the two Couslands that were approaching him slowly. All nobles bowed as the siblings slowly walked on the empty row between them.

As soon as they approached Ela and Duncan, who were standing close to Leliana, Ela whispered into Duncan's ear. "I've told you that they're going to marry soon!".

Duncan nodded and smiled at Ela "I'm so happy that you'll be my sister!" he whispered back.

After a few moments, the future queen and her brother arrived in front of the king and the music stopped. Fergus gave Elissa's hand to Alistair, then he went two steps back, behind them, leaving the bride and the groom hand in hand in front of the Grand Cleric, who immediately started to recite the wedding speech.

After the Grand Cleric ended the speech, Alistair took both Elissa's hands into his and looked into her eyes.

"I, Alistair Theirin, love you with all my heart. You are my love, my life, my soul, my everything, without you I'm lost… incomplete! Only you can make me whole again! I promise that I will make you happy for all the rest of our lives, I'll never let you down and we'll never be apart again so long as I may live!" said Alistair.

Elissa looked at Alistair and smiled.

"I, Elissa Cousland, love you, Alistair Theirin, forever! We've been through a lot, life hasn't been easy on us, but destiny has brought us back together. I never thought it could ever happen, but I thank the Maker for this miracle. We've lost each other, but we are reunited again and it's all that matters now. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, I want to make you happy too, because your happiness is my happiness!"

Then, the two soul mates kissed slowly, while the people in the room started to cheer. The fresh married royal couple was congratulated by the nobles.

After a few minutes, the royal couple went outside, on a balcony, where the huge crowd of people cheered for them, happy to see their king so in love with his new queen.

"Long live King Alistair!" yelled some people from the crowd.

"Long live Queen Elissa, the Hero of Ferelden!" yelled some other people.

Yes, it was a happy day in all Ferelden and every man, woman and child was celebrating! Everybody had heard the rumors about how the king and the Hero of Ferelden had been in love during the Blight and how they had suddenly broken up. Some people said that the Orlesians had blackmailed the king to marry one of them, an Orlesian noble. Others said that an evil blond mage with ponytail had bewitched the Hero of Ferelden and had forced her to marry him. Nobody really knew the truth, but it didn't matter anymore, because the most important thing at that moment was that the Maker had smiled on Alistair and Elissa, the Maker had tied their destinies back, reuniting them once and for all.

And Alistair and Elissa lived happily ever after.

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

_I think the following song lyrics are suitable for the end of this story._

"_**Together Forever" - Rick Astley Song Lyrics:**_

_If there's anything you need  
All you have to do is say  
You know you satisfy everything in me  
We shouldn't waste a single day_

So don't stop me falling  
It's destiny calling  
A power I just can't deny  
It's never changing  
Can't you hear me, I'm saying  
I want you for the rest of my life

chorus:  
Together forever and never to part  
Together forever we two  
And don't you know  
I would move heaven and earth  
To be together forever with you

If they ever get you down  
There's always something I can do  
Because I wouldn't ever wanna see you frown  
I'll always do what's best for you

There ain't no mistaking  
It's true love we're making  
Something to last for all time  
It's never changing  
Can't you hear me, I'm saying  
I want you for the rest of my life

Chorus

So don't stop me falling  
It's destiny calling  
A power I just can't deny  
It's never changing  
Can't you hear me, I'm saying  
I want you for the rest of my life 

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

THE END

"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

_**N/A:**_ _Thank you so much for reading this story. I know that I'm not a skilled writer - I'm just an amateur that had the courage to write a story in English - but still, I hope that you enjoyed reading it._

_There is also a small story called '**Destiny Rewritten: Swimming Against the Stream**', a shorter story branched from this one, dedicated to Anders, with chapter 18th rewritten and a different ending._


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